Nightmare Post-Eppie for Potential Energy
by DJ Dubois
Summary: Barry's coming to grips with everything at the end of the episode. Things really go from bad to worse...sigh... Please r & r!
1. Stunned at the Precinct

Nightmare (Post-Eppie for "Potential Energy")

DJ Dubois

January 2016

Rating: T (Teen)

Notes Part 1: Thanks to Jediracer41 for the premise to this story although I was thinking the same thing after watching this episode. There's a Barry/Patty ship here but the other cast members will be included too.

Notes Part 2: The characters from the Flash belong to DC and the CW. All other characters are mine and are fictitious.

Chapter 1 [CCPD—End of "Potential Energy"]

The precinct buzzed on that afternoon. Analysts buzzed at their computers piecing clues together on potential cases. Suspects awaited questioning and processing to trips to Iron Heights. Paperwork sat on some folks' desks awaiting their attention. CSI cases waited for the practiced eye…..

…that is if the eye in question wasn't linked to a particularly shell shocked person….

Barry Allen stood numbly in the midst of the bustling throng. He stared into space without really seeing anything. His mouth remained open wanting to say something but not finding the words. His mind not processing the bombshell his now ex-girlfriend had just dropped on him.

She was leaving Central City. Granted it was for a really cool position but she was _leaving Central City…._

 _She was moving on from everything and everyone including him._

He instinctively sat down in the nearest chair not knowing (or frankly caring) whose desk he was at. His knees remained jelly-like. A few tears streaked his cheeks at the unfair nature of the whole deal. Hadn't he tried to tell her? Was it his fault that he wasn't allowed to finish sharing his secret with her at the museum? He had wanted to tell her after the rescue but he'd been overwhelmed by the warmth of the moment….

…having her in his arms….

…a feeling he'd never have again….

 _I should've just told her right then and there. She would've understood. We might've had a fight but she wouldn't have left. Now she's leaving…because I couldn't speak fast enough…Me…not fast enough. Yeah whatever._ He managed to tap a finger on the borrowed desk agitatedly. He sighed deeply as his senses slowly returned to him.

A firm hand on his shoulder jarred him. He would've probably pushed off into the wall (and more than likely through it) if it hadn't held him in place.

"Needed to see if you were okay, Barr," Joe West indicated. Granted he wasn't thrilled at the prospect of losing his second partner in under a year. Like Barry, he too was in shock by Patty's departure. Just yesterday, it seemed, he entertained his partner for a Christmas party. Despite his barbs and teasing to the contrary, he felt glad that Barry was dating and moving on past Iris….

Still his own feelings could wait. Part of being a Dad and all that…..

"Sorry, Joe. Do I look okay?" Barry replied curtly. He rubbed his forehead in consternation. "I was going to tell her! It's not my fault. _Okay?_ " He put his forehead against the desk.

Seeing the eyes rotating toward them, the detective glared at the other bullpen people. Maybe the younger man was an adult and all of that. But Barry was for all intents and purposes his kid. And protecting even the Fastest Man Alive was his thing.

Again part of being a Dad and all that…..

Getting the hint, the other officers quickly passed by not wanting to stir Papa Bear in that regard.

Joe glanced at his watch and saw it was coming up on 4:30. He was at a good stopping point for the day and knew Singh wouldn't mind under the circumstances. "Why don't you get your coat and make sure everything's off? I'll wait here."

Barry tugged himself to his feet. He nodded half-numbly and efforted his way up the stairs toward the lab. He really didn't care about anything or if anyone saw him at the moment. Still he somehow knew he couldn't just super speed up the stairs without undue attention. He pushed the door open and staggered into his private place. He spasmed and shook slightly. He choked back a couple of sobs.

A quick glance around the area assured him that the equipment was off. He could see that the paperwork was in order. Somehow he knew that the latest case notes sat in the captain's email downstairs. His hand stabbed out in a blur grabbing his coat.

A deep breath returned a small measure of self-awareness to him. _Cool it. Life sucks but we're under enough scrutiny right now._ He imagined that Singh would've noticed the Flash in the precinct after the Turtle-induced lockdown and review of the security footage. _Like it should matter?_

At that moment, his phone buzzed at him.

 _Now what?_ He stared almost absently at the display before answering it. "Hey, Cisco."

"Hey, Barry. We've got a crisis here. We need you here," Cisco Ramon announced. Still he noted the absent and downtrodden tone in his friend's voice. "Dude, are you okay?"

Barry exhaled deeply. "Nothing. Just some stuff. Give me a minute. I'll be right there." He knew Joe would be waiting. He really needed the time to himself too. Still it seemed Duty needed him too. _It's times like this I wish Oliver was closer…._ He set his jaw, shut the door and sped down the stairs and out of the precinct toward STAR Labs.

Feeling the gust of air blow by himself, Joe rolled his eyes. He knew better than to call out and raise further attention to Barry. _Now what? Can't the world leave him alone for like three minutes? Damn!_ He grabbed his coat and stalked toward the door.

Sometimes it just stunk to be driven by Duty…..


	2. Failures at Star Labs

Chapter 2 [STAR Labs]

Cisco shut the phone off and set it by his computer console. As always, his mind flitted between various concerns and multitasking on certain cool weapons for the team's next mission. In this case, he had anticipated studying the Turtle for a solution to their "Zoom problem". Something in Barry's voice bugged him but he set it aside for the moment. _What the Hell happened?_

The security cameras around the Turtle's cell had been shut off mysteriously.

 _How did that happen?_ While he had some theories, he kept them to himself. He didn't want to agitate the team by going on another Harry-centric rant.

"Did you get him?" Caitlin queried as she and Jay Garrick entered the room. Until Cisco had notified them as well, they'd been working on a way to reconnect Jay to the speed force.

"Yeah I did. Hope he's okay. He sounds really out of it," Cisco noted.

"Maybe it's a delayed reaction to using his potential energy?" Jay theorized.

She dismissed the notion with a shake of her head. "I checked Barry over closely. He seemed fine. Maybe something else?"

Right on cue, Barry sped to a stop right by them. "Hey, guys. What's going on?" He sucked up his inner consternation, burying his feelings over Patty deep within himself. Besides he hoped that they could salvage something out of the whole mess. "Anything with the Turtle?"

"That's…why we called you," she informed him. While she wanted to fill him in, she could clearly see right through his poker face. "Barry, what's going on?"

"It's really nothing," Barry deflected not wanting to rehash the day's events. He took a pained breath and scratched the back of his neck. He didn't have the luxury of sulking in his feelings at the moment.

Part of the superhero code and all that….

"Guys, you called me in like crisis mode. What's up?" Barry insisted. He could see that something was wrong just by noting Cisco's mannerisms. "Cisco?"

Cisco grimaced anxiously.

"Oh _come on!_ Please don't tell me he escaped! After _everything_ I've been through because of him…." He grabbed a ceramic mug and threw it in frustration. Rather than catch it as he normally did, he uncharacteristically let it shatter against the far wall.

"Wait… After everything…?" She quirked an eyebrow clearly picking up on the speedster's vibes in that regard. She recognized the emotional tempest churning up inside of him. "Barry, please. Is it Patty? What happened? Is she…?"

Rather than answer, Barry rushed out of the area, down the halls and into the containment area. Within a heartbeat, he skidded to a stop by the open cell door and stared incredulously.

Lying on the floor, the Turtle's lifeless eyes seemed to mock him. His mouth, while convoluted in pain, almost seemed twisted in a ghastly Death's head grin. His disembodied voice echoed off the polished metallic surfaces and into the hero's ears. _"_ _I took away what means the most to you, Flash! I died but it doesn't matter. I WIN!"_

"No…no…no." Barry put his head against the wall. The emotional tidal wave within him surged and swept away his resolve. Regret's tears streaked his cheeks. Loss ate at his heart. He trembled with anxiety. Hadn't he given enough? Sacrifice was supposed to mean something. Right?

 _Right?_

He didn't even acknowledge his friends rushing into the area after him. The numbing riptide had pulled him under. He just stood there with his head against the wall not saying anything.

He'd lost Patty _for nothing….for nothing….._

"Barry? Hey! What happened?" Caitlin reiterated as they caught up to him. "It's obviously something. You need to get this out."

"I…just can't believe this!" Barry shut her question out denying the response. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to talk with her mind you. He was so overwhelmed and frustrated by the situation. His CSI-honed instincts took over. He frowned while considering the blood under the corpse's nose. "Somebody killed him right under our noses! _HOW?_ We needed him _alive_ , Guys! Now we have _nothing!_ I have… _nothing!_ " He shook his head furiously.

The trio exchanged anxious looks while realizing the underlying issue with their friend.

Cisco gulped with embarrassment. Now that he focused just on Barry, he clearly recognized Rejection's scars right there. The wounds over Kendra's departure still festered within his heart. "Wow. Barry, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah. Stuff happens. I never had the chance to finish my explanation." Barry motioned morosely toward the corpse. "Another three minutes and I would have." He shrugged. "Sucks to be us, right?" He winced while remembering the losses that Caitlin and Cisco had dealt with too. "And I'm being selfish. I…."

"You're entitled. If anyone understands, it's us," she assured him. She embraced him supportively.

"Dude, I…wow!" Cisco apologized. "So you were going through with it. I'm sorry. I know you need that time."

"Guys, we have a job to do. Patty's a cop. I just…wish she'd understand," Barry lamented. He grabbed onto her tightly.

"We're human too, Barry," Jay pointed out firmly. "None of us were down here. So that would leave…." He frowned. "Wells."

"Damn Harry!" Cisco hissed. "He's the only one who knows the codes to open the cell doors and extract the brain matter." He shook his head angrily. "What the Hell? He _knows_ why we need this! HE KNOWS! How do we stop Zoom now?"

"My point exactly," Barry agreed sadly. "We're back to damn square 1 and…."

At that moment, the alarm sounded throughout the building.

"The alarm now? What?" She looked at the others in confusion.

Barry's eyes narrowed. Right now he wanted any excuse for a fight. _Any excuse_. He zipped back down the hall toward their command center. Anger burned in his craw lending further speed to his accelerated footfalls. As he stopped at his target, he stopped cold at the sight waiting there.

The portal to Earth 2 hovered in mid-air in its center.

But more importantly, Zoom waited in anticipation. In each hand, he grasped a prize by the respective neck.

In the right, Iris looked almost apologetically at him.

In the left, Patty stared incredulously at her ex-boyfriend. "B…Barry? H…how?" she gasped. Her eyes burned with misunderstanding and fear into his.

A sharp dagger of pain cut through his heart staggering him further.

Zoom sniggered clearly savoring the moment and all of its glory. He didn't have to do a thing other than jerk a few strings and play on his enemies' emotions to achieve his ends. "Yessss…..That would be _telling_. Wouldn't it?" The hulking dark villain turned to Barry with a snide grin on his face. " _FLASH."_ With that he sped away. _"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, FLASH! I'M WAITING ON THE ROOF!"_

Barry's emotions ripped in two different directions. The sight of Zoom brought back the pain and humiliation of the last pounding. The trepidation froze him in his tracks. Failure and panic ate at him….

…yet the Turtle's eyes still stared into his memory….

…Zoom's sarcastic jeers burned in his brain….

"What is it?" Jay demanded as they reached his side.

"It's Zoom! He's on the roof!" Barry rushed toward his meeting with destiny before the others could stop him.

Strangely though he felt alone…for reasons he couldn't understand…he was alone….


	3. Rooftop Drama

Chapter 3 [Roof—Three Seconds Later]

In barely the blink of an eye, Barry reached the roof. He looked around with confusion at the shifting scene.

Despite the sun hadn't set when he'd entered the facility ten minutes earlier, now a night overcast with a new moon dominated the skyline. The wind had picked up significantly. Freezing rain now fell leaving a glaze on the roof and adjacent surfaces.

The shadows deepened almost unnaturally swallowing parts of the immediate area.

Including the part where Zoom concealed himself and the girls somehow….

"What the Hell?" he demanded. "ZOOM!" He glared around himself at the shadows

"BA…RRY!" the two hostages rasped as loudly as they could from the blackness.

The dark chortling joined the girls' plea to him jangling his nerves still further.

He turned to his right to find Zoom standing at the roof's edge and dangling his two captives over the edge. "NO!"

Zoom glared sarcastically at the young hero. _"REALLY, FLASH? YOU ARE SO EASY TO DEFEAT! I AM DISAPPOINTED!"_ He considered the two women who struggled in his grasp. _"THEY HAVE MORE BACKBONE THAN YOU. PITY I WILL HAVE TO BREAK THEM!"_

Patty managed to land a solid kick in his side.

"You bastard!" Iris spat in the villain's face.

Zoom allowed the spittle to run off of his mask. He was too close to allow the prey to wriggle out of his trap. _"SO CLOSE NOW! I WANT THE RIGHT MOMENT!"_

At that moment, a giant spotlight snapped on as if from nowhere washing away the shadows and darkness. At its base a contingent of CCPD officers stood waiting for the next move from the rooftop.

Barry saw Joe staring in fear at the sight of his daughter and partner hanging over the side. He could see his father figure locking eyes with him as if to say, "What the Hell? DO SOMETHING!" He also saw Singh recoil in disbelief at the sight of his CSI up there.

" _NOW WE HAVE OUR MOMENT! TIME TO MAKE YOUR MOVE, FLASH! EXPOSE YOURSELF TO THE WORLD! SAVE YOUR SECRET OR THE ONES YOU CARE FOR!"_ Zoom shook the two women and held them out in opposite directions.

The two women looked at each other. Granted they both knew that they couldn't do much against Zoom themselves. But they weren't about to just be the damsels tied to the train track either….

…not without a fight anyway….

To their credit, they tried to fight back some more landing some solid blows from their elbows, fists and feet. They were fighting to save Barry as much as he was trying to figure out how to save them.

Barry gulped anxiously. He knew there was really no choice. Secret be damned…one had to save the girl even if it meant giving up everything else in the process. He zipped toward his enemy hoping that the girls' distraction would enable him to free them….

…superhero code and all that, you understand….

Zoom, however, saw this maneuver. _"SLOPPY!"_ He timed Barry's rush perfectly waiting for the right moment. At the last moment, he stuck his foot out and landed a solid kick in the hero's side.

Barry fell over the side and into the abyss. For a split second, he seemed to hover in mid-air giving him time to look around….

…at his boss, father figure and co-workers below….

…at his enemy shrugging off the girls' blows….

…at Patty and Iris practically _begging_ him to do _something_ with their eyes as they struggled…

" _YES, FLASH! DO SOMETHING! SHOW THEM WHAT YOU CAN DO!"_ Zoom baited. _"SAVE THEM IF YOU CAN! SAVE YOURSELF FIRST IF YOU CAN!"_ He flung the two women into the abyss. _"PATHETIC! FALL TOGETHER THEN!"_

As if by the dark villain's design, Gravity reasserted itself tugging the trio toward the cold unyielding pavement below.

Barry spun his arms as fast as he could. He wanted to generate an air cushion to slow their descent. He twirled his arms harder and harder.

"Barry, quit stalling! Save us!" Iris yelled.

"Barry, I don't care. Just save us already!" Patty directed.

Still from his efforts, nothing came. No air gust, no speed motion…no static electricity….

It was as if the Turtle was hampering him again…

The girls somehow didn't scream as they plunged through the remaining space. Their eyes locked into the hero's however….

…and he knew he'd failed them _again_ ….

" _I WIN AGAIN! I HAVE YOUR SPEED AND YOUR LIFE!"_ Zoom crowed from above.

And at that moment, the shadows covered them once more despite the spotlight….and Barry knew no more….


	4. Confronting Reality

Chapter 4 [West Household—Morning After Foiling the Kidnapping]

[A/N: I know this is probably confusing but you'll get the gist, I think….]

Despite the relatively cool temperatures in the room, Barry thrashed under his sheets and comforter. His face and mouth contorted in anguish. Sweat soaked his forehead. His hands grasped at the air as if trying to reach out for something. His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest threatening to blow through his ribcage.

He screamed loudly while spinning his arms wildly creating a mini-twister in his fear. "NO! PATTY, I LOVE YOU! IRIS! I'M SORRY! JOE, I'M SORRY! ZOOM!"

The winds buffeted the room blowing his papers and effects from their places. The possessions scattered across the room. A couple of cups and glass items shattered against the walls. Clothes billowed into the corners. The air pressure shattered his window. As a final indignity, his vibrations broke the bed frame collapsing the mattress and box spring to the floor in a loud crash.

His eyes snapped open in a panic. He breathed heavily. His mind raced faster than his feet could have done on their own. He spasmed and shook in terror.

"What the Hell?" Joe queried incredulously as he burst into the room. "Barr? What's going on?" He tried to grab onto the younger man but was only knocked back by the other's vibrations.

In back of him, Iris and Patty watched in horror at the nightmare-induced damage in front of themselves.

Patty, for her part, stared incredulously at Barry's uncontrolled actions. She recognized the speed-induced hand motions and the buffeting winds in their wake. She shook her head and gaped. "Unreal."

"Try it from our angle!" Joe griped as he slowly stood. "Damn!"

Patty took a deep breath. They'd all heard Barry screaming from downstairs. She recognized that his nightmares had reached another level. Still, what she was witnessing took things beyond the point of believability. There was only one explanation…. She turned to the Wests. "He's the Flash?"

Iris exhaled deeply knowing there was no further room for denial. "Yes." She bowed her head. _Oh, Barry. What have you done? What's going on in your head?_

Patty shook her head while going through the adventures of the previous six months. She had run into the costumed hero several times. Granted she'd saved him once but he'd returned the favor four times over. His advice had saved her from making a huge mistake with Martin. She heard him once more begging her to stop before she ended any shot at a life….

…a life with him…

…the life her father wanted her to live….

 _Enough. You wanted to know. Now you do._ She buried her questions postponing them for later. She forced herself forward through the fear-induced storm toward her boyfriend's side. "BARRY! BARRY, IT'S OKAY! STOP!" She waited for his vibrations to subside before grabbing onto him tightly. "BARRY, IT'S OKAY!"

Perhaps it was Patty's yelling. Maybe it was her holding him. Whichever of her actions accomplished the end didn't matter….

All that did matter was that Barry realized what was going on. He stared in disbelief at her. "P…Patty? How? I…"

"What's important is that you're awake. We really need to get you some help with this stuff. I do have a question. Is Zoom that guy that beat you up and paraded you through the precinct?" Patty wondered.

Barry stared at her. He didn't comprehend how she knew to be asking the question. His mind still struggled to pull itself back onto Sanity's shoals. He winced from the pounding headache….

"Barry, are you okay?" Despite her issues with him at the moment, his reaction scared her to say the least. She exchanged fearful looks with Joe and Iris. "Is this normal? These nightmares have been building for a while but they haven't been like this."

"Sorry," Barry managed to apologize before collecting his wits. "I can't believe you're okay!" He grabbed onto his girlfriend desperately.

"Umm yeah…I'm okay. You rescued me last night. _Remember?_ " Patty reminded him. Before he could deny it, she put her hand up. "No more lies, Barry. Please. I can't deal with it anymore." She motioned around them at the flotsam from his "nightmare-storm." "Let me in. _Please let me be there for you._ "

"She has a point, Barry. We're all here," Iris urged backing up Patty's assertion in that regard.

"You're okay too?" Barry hugged Iris as well much to everyone's confusion. As his mind registered that what he'd experienced was only a nightmare, relief flooded through his consciousness. "I'm sure glad you both are all right."

"Man, that must have been some nightmare," Joe presumed. "This is going to take some doing to get straightened up." Seeing Barry thinking about doing so, he shook his head. "Give yourself a minute. You need to collect yourself."

"Not to mention that we need to have a talk, Barry. _All of us_ ," Patty insisted in a gentle yet firm tone that wasn't to be brushed off or ignored.

Barry grimaced at the carnage about himself. His bed was in shambles. Papers and possessions were scattered about the area. The window shattered. His secret was shot….

…and from Patty's tone coupled with the previous day's ultimatum, his relationship wasn't that far from being in the same state unless he opened up….

"I can't lose you, Patty," he admitted in a sad voice. He trembled dreading that eventuality adding a heavy sigh for emphasis.

"Then be honest with me, Barry. Give me _something._ " She looked at the others. "Maybe we can all have coffee and talk?"

"Yeah that's long overdue," Joe agreed while rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. He could almost feel the tension simmering in the room like the humidity on a summer day.

"I'll get that coffee started," Iris agreed before hustling off to do just that.

Barry stood hesitantly. He really did want to be open with her. Now that she knew the truth, he would endeavor to be so. "Just one favor?"

"Depends on what it is," Patty hedged.

"Just hear me out. Okay? That's all I want," Barry requested hopefully while peering almost desperately into her eyes.

"Sorry but that's what we all want," Joe agreed feeling both nervous and relieved about these events. Granted he wasn't sure about how to handle the redecorating job. Still he wanted to get through the upcoming discussion at hand. Maybe they could keep a working version of the status quo…

…at least he could hope for as much….breaking in a new partner would definitely suck at that….

She nodded. "That works for me. Let's get downstairs. You'd better not be holding anything else back, Guys." She turned to Barry. "Can you get down there by yourself?"

"I'll make it. Thanks though. I appreciate this chance," Barry expressed as he followed them out of the devastated bedroom and toward the kitchen.

Maybe what he'd experienced was a nightmare but this discussion could set another one off….

…a real one at that….

…one that Barry would have to prevent at all costs….


	5. Table Discussion

Chapter 5

Patty sat at the kitchen table musing about the brewing discussion. Despite having a few minutes to process everything, her temples pounded incessantly. She sipped broodingly from the coffee mug in front of herself. _Can I trust them to say anything that I can believe?_ She rubbed her hand on the varnished oak surface.

Her heart screamed at her, _We have to believe! Barry did it to protect you!_

She shook her head while taking another draught and studying the anxious expression on her partner's face. _Caught you, didn't I?_ She gave him an almost satisfied smirk to spread the tension a bit further.

"You're going through that. Want a refill or you good?" Iris queried while buffering for her Dad. She held a fresh pot enticingly close by.

"I'm good for now. Thanks though, Iris," Patty declined with an obvious effort to be pleasant in her voice. She did appreciate the other woman's efforts to at least _try_ to include her despite being in 'evade to protect the Secret' mode. "Where's Barry? Is he still upstairs?"

"Sorry. I'm here," Barry apologized while slowly making his way down the stairs. Despite his enhanced metabolism, it still proved an effort for him to get down the stairs and to the table. "I'll take a cup, Iris. Thanks."

Joe helped him to sit down. "Sure you're okay, Barr? You can use some more sleep…."

"Maybe but no." Barry cut off that stream of argument with a shake of his head. "Patty and I both need this, Joe. We've kept the truth from her long enough. Now that she knows, she needs to hear it… _all of it_." He accepted a warm mug from Iris. "Thanks."

"You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that, Barry," Patty indicated. She offered him a hopeful smile. "Please. Keep it simple and just give me the truth."

 _If she can handle it,_ Joe noted to himself.

"It's going to be okay, Barry," Iris insisted.

Barry exhaled deeply. "Okay." He looked deeply into his girlfriend's eyes and started. "Remember when we were dancing last night? I started to tell you about this stuff."

Patty nodded while sipping on her hot drink. "You mentioned the lightning strike and being in the coma. Is that what gave you your abilities?"

Barry nodded. "Yes. I was out for nine months. When I came back, I found that I could run really fast. I've been busting criminals ever since. The folks at STAR Labs have been helping me to better manage my abilities."

"Okay. So the particle accelerator explosion and the lightning combined to make you the Flash?" Patty presumed.

"Along with some chemicals in my lab, yeah. That's pretty much it," Barry noted while taking a heavy gulp.

"And the connection with STAR Labs? Who are they? What are they doing? And what's the connection to Harrison Wells?" Patty pressed.

Barry nodded. "You've already met Cisco, Caitlin and Jay at the Christmas party. They're not into the particle research if that's what you're thinking. They…we…are actually out there fighting the bad guys and trying to deal with well… _stuff._ "

"Excuse me? _Stuff?_ " Patty queried.

"Trust me. It'll make your head hurt," Joe interceded.

"Try me, Joe. I'm smart enough to do this," his partner retorted firmly. She wanted to know what they were into and wouldn't accept a half-assed blow off at that point.

"How to deal with the metahumans for one thing. Then there's the whole Earth-2 situation." Barry admittedly felt anxious but wasn't about to leave anything out. Seeing Patty roll her eyes, he told her, "You want the truth? I'm giving it to you. It's going to sound unbelievable but here it is."

Patty nodded reassuringly. "And I appreciate it. You're saying that there is a parallel universe beside ours?"

"I am. That man shark you saved me from was from there. Zoom is also from there. We've been dealing with other metas from there too," Barry revealed. "Jay and the Harrison Wells you shot at STAR Labs are also from Earth 2."

"Wait." Patty raised her hand while trying to digest the latest confession. "Harrison Wells did a lot of stuff here in our reality. So there are two of them?"

"This should be good," Joe muttered to himself.

"There were. As I said, the Harrison Wells who is currently there is from Earth 2. The Wells… _our version_ …was actually a guy from the future named Eobard Thawne. He killed Wells about fifteen years ago and assumed his identity. He was playing all of us for fools, Patty, until he revealed himself last spring. In trying to stop him, that's why the singularity opened over the city. He was the Reverse Flash."

"So he wasn't Wells _at all_? And this Thawne guy? What happened to him?" Patty queried.

Iris bowed her head. "My _fiancé_ and Dad's former partner, Eddie Thawne, sacrificed himself to stop the Reverse Flash. He shot himself to save us all." She ripped off a paper towel and wiped her eyes. "Sorry."

"No I'm sorry. Mind if we take a second, Barry?" Patty motioned toward the other woman dealing with her grief.

"Sure." Barry knew how raw the wounds over Iris' heart were in that regard. "Iris, I…"

Iris took a heavy chug from her own mug before setting it down firmly on the counter. "Thanks, Guys. Eddie, Patty, was like you. He honored the badge and put his duty before himself. I wish he hadn't taken so many chances. It's tough to deal with him being gone. Still I remember him as a hero." A big smile broke through Mourning's overcast. "He was so awesome."

"I guess between my Mom and him, I don't want to lose anyone else. Caitlin lost her husband. I saw him die as we closed the singularity. He was a meta named Firestorm," Barry added. "He and Eddie were the heroes not me. I wish that people would recognize that."

Recalling the events from earlier that year, she rubbed her forehead. "Singularity? You mean that hole in the sky? You all opened that? Barry!"

"Thawne…the first Wells…did that." Barry sighed deeply and grimaced. "It was an attempt for both him and me. He wanted to get back to his time. I went back in time."

"Went back…?" Recalling what she had said to him on the previous morning, she realized the point. "Your Mom, right? Sorry to sound condescending but you're lucky I'm a sci fi junkie. I just can't believe this stuff is real. If I hadn't saw the hole in the sky, I wouldn't believe it."

Barry pressed on. He felt his indignation surge forward but managed to restrain it. "Well it is real. Anyhow I went back to try and save Mom from Thawne. I realized though that I couldn't do it. Not without really damaging things. So I came back." Now it was his turn to grab a napkin and wipe his eyes. "Sorry."

"No. Don't be. It's okay. I appreciate how hard this is," Patty reassured Barry. "If you need a minute?"

He shook his head. He wanted to tell her that he was okay but didn't want to lie again. "I'll deal with it. She'd agree that you're important here." He sighed heavily. "For what it's worth, I have trouble coping with it all too. It seems the rules change every week. I just don't want you to get hurt."

She rolled her eyes. "Barry, I chose to be there with you. I want to _commit_ to this relationship. But can you? Can you respect my choice? I'm not _made of glass_! It's like in Eddie's case. I've read up on him. As you said, he's a tremendous cop and detective. Apparently it killed him but he chose to sacrifice himself. I've heard other things today too which don't surprise me. Iris respects him. CAN'T YOU RESPECT ME?"

He furrowed his brow. "Of course I can! I'm trying to protect you! I know you're capable. Okay? Look at what happened when you shot Wells. Look at the scene at the museum. You don't look before you leap. The reason the Turtle kidnapped you was because you stepped into the line of fire. He saw me break away from him and save you. Not that I regret doing that…" He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "You exposed us both."

"But I need to do my job. I'm not some damsel in distress. _Risk comes with the badge!_ " Patty argued.

"Risk but not suicidal charges," Joe offered from the sidelines. "Look. I know how it looks from your perspective, Patty…."

"How it looks? Joe, I wanted transparency! You want to be so dense! How can I be your partner if you won't trust me? How can I trust you?" Patty demanded.

"One thing I've learned, Patty, is that we can't just jump in. Barry's tried to involve another friend of ours, Linda Park, and me to deal with Zoom. We thought we were all great." Iris shook her head. "Linda nearly got killed. I had to deal with Barry being displayed like you did. What we did really backfired."

"I want you with me, Patty. I just don't want anything happening to you. You're so great and…" Barry started.

"Well I don't want anything happening to you either, Barry. You know how hard it was for me seeing the Flash being held up by that creep? Or how about that shark you mentioned earlier? Or when Martin and the Trickster were killing you? And that's when _I didn't know_ who you really are. You're as bad as you claim that I am. You want me to come up the speed? Fine. Then let me learn about this stuff. I can deal with it. _I love you, Barry Allen_. Please don't shut me out."

Barry smiled. "I love you too. Can you promise me at least you'll be more careful? I'm not asking you to stop doing your job. I just want you to…maybe take more strategic risks?" He curled his mouth in apprehension. "You do that and I'll let you in. I don't want a repeat of what happened with the Turtle."

Patty sighed. "Barry, I'm not negotiating here. Either you let me in or I'm leaving."

"Patty, I've opened up and given you everything over the last five minutes! It is unbelievable! Like I said, I can't believe it! You know that Zoom broke my back? I didn't want anyone knowing that he had crippled me!" Barry pointed out. "I've had to learn that I can't go off and just do what I want. I have the powers but I can still get hurt or die."

"And that's something else. Barry, you didn't have to lie about your condition. I would've understood. I would have sat with you through it. It hurts that you didn't trust me," Patty pointed out.

"I'm _trying_! Sometimes I can't trust myself with this stuff!" Barry shook his head in frustration. "I have a duty to be a hero just like we have our duty with CCPD. There's so much we all have to learn."

"Then let's learn it _together!_ If I have questions, would it be all right to _ask_? I can ask Iris, Joe, the folks at STAR Labs if it's okay? I'm not going to give out your secret," Patty countered.

"That's fine. And can you deal with lying to Singh or people where I'm concerned? Patty, I know you can deal with my secret. That's why I'm talking to you right now. You want me to say it? Okay. I was wrong to keep my back injury from you. You were right about what you said concerning my Dad. I have a lot of trouble with sharing and opening up. I _want_ to. You're showing me why I _need_ to. I just don't want to lose anyone…." Barry felt his eyes watering. "That's what my nightmare just now was about. Zoom killed Iris and you. I tried to rush in and save you but he sent me over the edge. We all fell…." Tears streaked his cheeks.

She exhaled sharply. "First of all, I get that's the PTSD from Zoom's beating talking. As long as you try to deal with this stuff alone, it will win and keep winning. It's why you were having those nightmares with me, wasn't it?"

He nodded silently.

"See? That wasn't so hard. Barry, you _don't_ have to go it alone. We're all here for you. _I'm here for you_. If we all support each other, we can do this." She squeezed his right hand in hers. "You helped me to deal with my father's death. Because of you, I'm not in prison right now. _Let me be there for you_. Let me guess about the second part….That Zoom guy picks us off one by one, right?"

"Right," the hero croaked with effort.

"Okay then. We stand together." Patty looked at the two Wests purposefully before continuing on, " _All_ of us. Maybe you might see if there's someone who can help you with the PTSD though? When you go up against that creep again, you can't afford to hesitate or be paralyzed by that fear. We. Can. Do. This." She grasped his hands.

He frowned with doubt. He wanted to believe…but Loss burdened him so. He gazed into her blue eyes and beheld the light therein. "You and Iris fought him…in that. Yeah I hesitated. Some hero, huh?"

Patty shook her head. "Anyone in your situation would. I mean you're caught between being the hero and the man. We have our duty but we're _human_. You're _human_ , Barry. It's okay to have doubt and hurt. But it's not okay to deny and repress it. It's not okay to deny the rest of us the pleasure of your company. I'm not afraid of that Zoom guy. Do I respect him? Hell yes. But it's _our_ job to stop him. You may have the speed. I have the gun and badge. I love you. I'll be damned if I let you deal with that SOB alone!"

Barry quivered caught between the sides of himself. "I…I…want…"

"Patty, maybe he needs some space. You know?" Joe presumed.

"Dad, it's okay," Iris disagreed. She saw what Patty was trying to do. "Barry, listen to her." She rubbed his shoulder supportively. "You're stronger than this. Please listen."

Barry ground his teeth and slapped the table hard. Usually when the emotions swamped him, he could maintain a mask long enough to retreat to the lab, his room or into the Flash persona to run them off. Now though there was nowhere to run or hide. He trembled; his speed and vibrations shaking the table and knocking everything over again.

Patty jumped up from her seat and never hesitated. She moved toward him and held onto him as much as she could. Her fingers dug in for a strong grip never letting go despite the frenetic motion. "I'm here. It's okay. I'm not letting go." She felt him relax.

"Do…Don't stop. Please don't stop," Barry murmured desperately through Pain's needles.

"Just let it out. Please," Patty urged gently. "It's okay." She pushed a little on his chin so as to raise his face to meet hers. "I'm here for you. Be here for me. Let me."

"O…okay. Don't let go," Barry relented hoping to finally make the pain stop.

Patty beamed at his words. She pulled him into her arms sheltering him therein. Her eyes watered with happy tears. "I'm not. I've got you, Barry. We'll keep each other safe. All right?"

Barry managed a small nod and a smile. "Thanks. I…have to clean this up." He started to get up.

"Whoa. It's okay. We've got it," Joe urged. "Meantime, Patty, if you need a place to stay, you can stay here." He turned his eyes toward the younger man in emphasis.

"Are you sure, Joe? That would be great if I could stay until I get a new place," Patty accepted. She recognized the make-nice gesture from him.

"You should. It'd be nice to have backup against these two," Iris noted adding a teasing jab for her Dad and Barry.

"Barry, what do you think?" Patty queried hopefully.

Barry rolled his eyes. "I'll have to get a new bedframe but I'd…" He squeezed her hands in his. "I want you to stay." He kissed her briefly and then touched foreheads with her. "Please stay."

"I'm not going anywhere now. Granted I still want to do the CSI thing. Maybe…you can do me a favor?" Patty assured him. "Run me in and out of Midway City? That way I can go to school and still be here for us. Maybe Captain Singh will let me intern here if that's okay?" She glanced up at Joe. "What do you think?"

"I can't see why he wouldn't. Patty, just be aware of what's out there. I don't want to lose you like Eddie. Promise me you won't just take chances. Maybe we can talk too?" Joe requested. "Now that you know, I don't have to hold back anymore."

"If and when we're out riding the beat as detectives, that would be great," Patty agreed. "I think my future's in that crime lab with a certain speedster we all know though. Now that we've reestablished that foundation, I can have everything I want." She let her eyes sparkle into Barry's. "Thanks for making this effort. I really appreciate it." Her lips caressed his left cheek whispering their support into his soul.

"Thanks for not giving up on me," Barry expressed gratefully.

"Just don't push me aside and we'll be right there," Patty noted. Then she looked about the area. "How about we clean this up? Then we can get that bedroom straightened out? I'm willing to help with that bedframe if you are?"

Barry smiled and looked about the room. He could see Joe and Iris nod silently in approval. He could see what his fear and walls had almost cost him. As with his girlfriend, he did have everything and almost lost it….

…lost it to the nightmares….

"Let's get to it then." He took her hand and led her back toward the stairs and the tasks ahead.

And in such ways, things were back on track…..


	6. Standoff

Chapter 6 [Two Days Later]

Barry stared at the ceiling in deep contemplation of the events unfolding around himself. He felt a bit confined on the couch having given up the newly reconstructed bed to Patty. Despite the relatively warmth, he shivered under the comforter. He swore that the shadows moved every so often. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck.

 _Cut it out. Zoom's not here. It's all in your mind, Barry._

He sighed recalling some advice that Dr. Addison, the precinct's therapist, told him. _Once someone gets under your skin like this, you see him or her everywhere. Not to say it isn't real…but you still see smoke where there isn't fire. Rather than look for the flames, feel the heat instead…._

 _Feel the heat? Yeah right._ He exhaled deeply while considering the day ahead. As per his understanding with Patty, he'd arranged to take her over to STAR Labs so that she could see the "behind the scenes" part of his world as the Flash. He wanted her to see Cisco and Caitlin in their native environment working on the very gadgets, tools and techniques which kept their city safe from the evil doers and metahumans choosing to go off Morality's tracks so to speak. _I just hope she can take it. As long as she doesn't just run off to Midway City and never look back!_

" _BETTER SHE HAD, FLASH!"_

Barry's ears perked to the unwelcome grating of the coarse low challenge. Instantly he was on his feet. Another second later, he flipped the light switch to dispel the unwelcome shadows.

Alas nothing happened.

"What the Hell?" He looked about the room only now noting that the digital readouts on his alarm clock and the cable box were dark. He couldn't hear the refrigerator's humming from the kitchen.

The power had been cut…

"Terrific." Even if his eyes couldn't see it clearly, he glanced toward the silhouetted staircase leading toward his loved ones' rooms. He ground his teeth knowing that they were all in danger once again. Fear weighed on him once more threatening to paralyze him.

Then he felt something in his pocket against his hip. He grabbed at it and realized it was his phone. _At least I can warn Patty and the others._ He typed furiously and hit send so that it would reach her. Then he did the same hoping to reach STAR Labs in spite of the hour.

" _I'M WAITING, FLASH! DO NOT MAKE ME COME IN THERE!"_ Zoom threatened from outside not caring who heard him.

"I heard you already," Barry groused low before zipping outside to face his personal nemesis. He knew that the other lay in wait for him within the early morning inky cloak outside. Trick was how to smoke the deadly interloper into view and draw the following fight away from the others before anyone got hurt…

…including Barry himself….

 _Here goes!_ He vibrated rapidly to warm his blood against the night's chill. "Now where are you?"

Without warning, something struck at him fast and hard from the side throwing him against the house. The impact jarred his senses and made him woozy to say the least.

" _PAY ATTENTION!"_ Zoom ranted while moving in for the kill….

[Minutes Earlier—Upstairs]

As with Barry, Patty drifted in and out of sleep. She felt nervous about the new CSI program. She didn't like that Joe would need a new partner even if that would be an inevitability in itself. She wanted a new partnership though. _Is that so bad?_

The empty space next to her didn't help.

She sulked and rolled her eyes at the ceiling. _It's sweet that he wanted to give me the bed and take the couch but I wish Barry were here with me._ It was then that she noticed that it was darker in the room than it should have been. She glanced about the blackened expanse at the refurbished bedroom.

On the nightstand the clock radio's digital display wasn't doing anything. Her cell phone had stopped charging.

 _What's going on?_ She got up and tried to flip on the light switch with no results. "Now what?" She heard her phone buzz at her. "A text at this hour?" She headed back over to the nightstand and read the display.

" _Patty, Zoom is right outside. Get Joe and Iris up. I'm going to deal with him. I've already called STAR Labs. Love you, Barry."_

"Damn it, Barry! What did we just discuss?" Patty ground her teeth. She pulled her coat over her sweats and checked her revolver. "Thankfully the Captain let me hang onto this." She stuck it in her waistband before heading down the hall. She rapped on Joe's door. "Joe?"

Noises came from within the room as he apparently woke up and slowly made his way through the dark. The door opened and he stuck his head out. "Patty, what the Hell?"

"Power's out. Barry apparently went outside to confront Zoom. We have to do something," Patty asserted. "Get your gun. I'm not leaving him alone with that maniac any longer than I have to."

An impact against the side of the house echoed up to their ears.

"Great! Barr just bit off more than he can chew." He grabbed his own pistol. "Lead the way!"

She rushed down the stairs somehow not tripping in the process. Her heart pounded away like a jackhammer. Her forehead beaded with sweat. As with Barry, she still could clearly see that hellish night in the precinct.

It would not happen again. It could not happen again.

 _I'm not losing you, Barry! I won't let you go like my Dad!_ She drew her pistol and looked back toward the stairs.

Joe crept to her side and then over to the door. As with her, he had his own weapon ready. He motioned toward the door.

She rushed to that spot and looked toward him while trying to keep her nerves in check.

"You ready? Remember don't give that SOB any chance. You get a clean shot, you take him down! Barry's life could depend on it," he reminded her.

Another impact shook the house.

From outside, Zoom bellowed, _"NOW YOU SUFFER!"_

"DAD!" Iris called from the stairs.

"Stay there! We've got this!" He motioned again toward the doorknob and slowly twisted it in his hand. "Nobody's taking him down like this."

"Not on my watch," Patty concurred before slipping out the door. As she eased out onto the front walkway, her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting from the street lights and the full moon overhead. She slid along the house's side trying to attract as little attention as possible. "Barry, you and I really need to get some understandings about teamwork."

Barry groaned from around the corner.

Zoom sniggered wickedly.

She felt her heart threaten to stop. She sucked in a deep breath to reaffirm her purpose. _This ends now!_ After shooting Joe a nod, she peered around the corner and her eyes went wide.

The villain held a semi-conscious Barry in the air while considering how to torture him further. _"HOW DISAPPOINTING! TO THINK THAT WELLS CONSIDERED YOU A WORTHY OPPONENT FOR ME!"_

"Meet my worthy bullet, you bastard!" she snarled before squeezing off a couple of quick shots and hitting the back of his knees.

Joe fired another round hitting the evil speedster square in the spine.

" _ARRGHH!"_ Zoom dropped Barry unceremoniously as the feeling evaporated in his arms and legs. He waivered and collapsed to the ground.

"Got you finally!" Joe assessed before checking both villain and hero over.

"We've got to get him to a hospital!" Patty declared. Her eyes watered with worry. She checked her boyfriend over and frowned. "Barry, this really has to stop. You know that?"

"Good luck on that one," Joe noted with a touch of sarcasm.

"So _not_ helping right now," Patty fired back tersely. She straightened Barry's hair with her hand. Then she heard a vehicle speeding down the street. "What the Hell?"

At that moment, a van screeched to a halt in front of the house. From it, Cisco rushed onto the scene carrying a rather ominous looking rifle in his hand and appeared ready to use it. "GUYS!"

"Stand down, Cisco. We got him," Joe noted. He looked down at the paralyzed Zoom who now could not move.

"Ooh yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Cisco set down the rifle and produced a tranquilizer gun. Setting the end of the barrel against Zoom's shoulder, he fired a dart into the latter. "Nightie night!" He shook his head at the stunned criminal. "You guys really shot him in the back? That's so cold."

"Shooting him in the front doesn't work so well. We learned that at the station last time. Besides what are you doing with that thing?" Patty queried with an edge to her voice.

"Being ready to back you all up. When Barry sends a 911 like that, we back him up. Good answer by the way," Cisco concurred. "We'll get Zoom and Barry back to the lab. If you want to ride with us, Patty, there's room."

"Thanks." She kissed Barry's forehead. "I'm not leaving him."

"He'll be _so_ glad to hear that," Cisco noted. Admittedly he'd felt vibes earlier that week telling him that she _was_ planning on just that. "Guess you get your trip to the lab a few hours early? Help me?"

"Come on." Patty stuck her revolver into her waistband and took Barry's ankles. She helped Cisco carry Barry to the van and laid him across the backseat. Then she and the two guys did the same with Zoom dumping him unceremoniously in the van's back space and locking the door.

"What happened?" Iris wondered while rushing toward the scene. "I heard the impacts and some shots. Cisco?"

"Hey, Iris. I got the 911 text like Patty apparently did," the inventor noted. "We're getting Barry and Zoom back to STAR Labs. Thank your Dad and Patty for really saving the day." He picked up the rifle and carried it toward the van.

"We'll take care of him, Guys," Patty vowed to Joe and Iris before rushing toward the van and jumping in.

"Like she said. Caitin's already getting stuff together," Cisco concurred purposefully. "Ain't nothing happening to him." He ran toward the van and climbed in quickly. As he cranked the ignition and put the van in motion, he grinned at the blonde former detective. "We got this. Nice job." He stepped on the gas and sped them back across the city.

She glanced over the seat toward her semi-conscious boyfriend. She muttered a silent prayer and then leaned back against the seat's cushions. While she had to admit that the driver's compliment sounded great to her ears, she'd enjoy it more when a certain scarlet speedster was conscious and okay. _Just be okay, Barry._

That was going to be a long drive back…..


	7. Race for Barry

Chapter 7 [STAR Labs—Ten minutes later]

Caitlin worked feverishly at the control console; her fingers dancing frenetically across the keys. Since Cisco had peeled away in a dead panic over Barry's text, she'd barreled through equation after equation while trying to come up with _something_ to stop Zoom…

… _something_ to save Barry from another beat down….

… _something_ to save Jay's life after his beat down….

She ground her teeth and gulped anxiously from her coffee cup. Granted she didn't need the boost to her already heightened pulse rate but she would not make a stupid mistake due to an ambush of the drowsies….

…not with her guys needing her….

She almost jumped when a reassuring hand rubbed her shoulder. Her eyes darted slightly in that direction to find Jay standing there with a hopeful smile on his face. "Damn! You scared me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to. Any word yet?" he queried expectantly. He knew he should've been at her side dealing with the issue at hand. He would've been. That is if he wasn't dealing with his own case of it.

"None." She squeezed his hand tightly feeling his reassuring presence. "And I know you're dealing with your own trauma, Jay. You're doing what you can."

He sighed. "Caitlin, I should be doing more. Because of that, Barry may pay with his life. Zoom will kill him." He frowned. "Where is Harrison anyhow? We need him here."

"Who knows? He probably went back to his world since the portal's open," she supposed while motioning to the glowing cobalt energy suspended in mid-air to their right. She downed another coffee shot and rubbed her temples. "I don't want Barry going down the same road as you, Jay." She turned to him with sad eyes. "Bad enough you're dying."

He set his jaw. "I didn't have Cisco or you to support me on Earth-2. Barry has you both. He has the Wests and Patty. I didn't have the Hood in my corner either."

"Excuse me? The Hood?" she queried.

"Our world's version of Green Arrow. There it was Robert Queen. Here you all deal with his son, Oliver," he explained.

She put that point on the back burner for the moment not wanting to get lost considering yet another point of divergence between the two worlds. "He's quite the guy. So are his team members." Her fingers pitter-pattered a nervous Morse code on the keyboard metallic surface. "Is the containment area secure?"

"The alarms and cameras are back on. I've also rigged up a dampening field." Seeing her questioning glance, he shrugged. "Harrison didn't erase _everything_." He held up a vial of blood. "I managed to isolate the dampening element in the Turtle's blood."

"How? He's dead and…." She stared at the vial in disbelief.

"It's not perfect but it may be all we can get for now. I've synthesized the frequency. In addition Cisco and I have been working on a set of restraints should we get Zoom. We have a special area set up for Zoom if we should take him down," he informed her. "We will do this, Caitlin. Count on that."

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed at her. She glanced at it and noted, "It's Cisco!" She answered it, "What's going on?"

"Hey! I'm on the way back. Prep the treatment area like _stat_. Barry just got the crap kicked out of him," Cisco reported.

"And everyone else? How are Joe, Iris and Patty, Cisco? Are you okay?" Caitlin demanded. Then she selected the speaker function. "You're on with Jay and me. What's happening?"

"Everyone else is okay. Zoom though isn't." Cisco grinned at Patty approvingly. "Patty went like all commando on his ass! We've got _him_! Zoom's in the back."

"You got him?" Caitlin restrained the urge to pump her fist given the circumstances.

"Yeah. ETA's about ten minutes. I'll let you talk to Patty. She's right here," Cisco noted before handing the phone to the detective. "It's Caitlin."

Patty nodded while recalling the conversations from a couple of days earlier at the Christmas party. "Caitlin? Hi, umm…it's Patty." She grimaced. "Sorry. That sounded so dumb." She sighed.

"It's okay, Patty. Are you okay? Zoom didn't hurt you, did he?" Caitlin queried.

"No….well other than giving me a case of the frights after kicking Barry's ass again. Please tell me we have a way to end this mess." Patty wiped a tear away from her eyes. She looked at her moaning boyfriend in the back seat. "Barry's not good. I want to get us both past this, Caitlin."

"We all want that, Patty. So what happened with Zoom?" Caitlin informed her.

Patty heaved several breaths. Now that the adrenaline rush had subsided, she trembled with fear and anxiety. "I…I saw him holding Barry in the air. It…was…was like that night again…at the precinct….Damn!" She wiped the sweat from her forehead before making herself press on. "I was…petrified…that Barry was going to die, Caitlin! Then that creep insulted Barry calling him unworthy or something like that. I guess I was pissed enough that I fired my revolver. I blew out both of his knees. Joe…Joe…put another one in his spine. We crippled him so he won't be able to hurt anyone else."

Cisco rubbed her arm supportively. Despite keeping his eyes on the rapidly progressing asphalt passing under their wheels, he wanted her to know she wasn't alone at that moment. He frowned and pressed down even harder on the gas. His concern for Barry overriding his need for safety at the moment.

"As long as you're okay, Patty." Caitlin turned to Jay. "Get the containment area ready. They've got Zoom."

 _They did it? Astounding!_ Rather than puzzle through that point and lose precious time, he kissed her cheek and rushed off toward their personal cell block to prep for the incoming prisoner.

"Caitlin? You still there?" Patty asked desperately.

"I'm here, Patty. I was just telling Jay to get our containment area ready for Zoom. Sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you," Caitlin apologized.

"That's okay. I have…so…many questions. Sorry. Barry dumped the truth on me about all of the stuff you all deal with. After we get through this, would you mind if…we…all talk? Since he and I are together, I want to be part of this too," Patty requested. "Just don't shut me out."

Cisco nodded and smirked at her. "After tonight? Lady, you've _definitely_ got my vote."

"And mine too. Thanks for bailing Barry out of that mess, Patty. I appreciate it," Caitlin expressed.

Patty nodded. Granted Barry's condition still terrified her. However, with the Wests and now the STAR Labs folks accepting her role, she no longer felt alone. "No…problem. Like I told Barry, he's not alone anymore."

While she wanted to tell Patty that Barry was never alone, Caitlin understood the other's intent. She glanced down the corner where Jay had turned toward his task. "Nobody's judging you here, Patty. Just get here in one piece. I'm going to prep our medical area for Barry. Hang in there. We'll talk in a few minutes. Okay?"

Patty nodded. "Okay. Do what you have to make sure he's going to be all right. Thanks, Caitlin."

"My pleasure. See you in a few minutes," Caitlin concluded before hanging up. She saved her previous efforts on that particular computer's hard drive. Then she hustled across the room toward the infirmary. With a practiced eye, she inspected the bed making sure that the mattress and sheets were all right. She reached under the metal bed frame and yanked out a bagged comforter. After almost tearing open that container, she whipped it over the white sheets underneath. Finally she primped the pillows making sure they were ultra-comfy for the resident speedster's head.

Jay rushed to her side. "Everything's set with the cell. Just give the word and I'll turn on the containment field." He sighed. "Sorry that I'm thinking this right now but I'm hoping we can still take back my speed. I should be more focused with Barry's condition but…."

Caitlin shook her head. "Jay, if you weren't thinking that, you wouldn't be human. It's okay. I know you're pushing as hard as any of us to help Barry." She squeezed his hand to reassure him and let her eyes sparkle into his. "We will find a way to save you. I'm _not_ letting you go. _Ever._ "

Jay nodded with gratitude. "I know. Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Caitlin managed a smile for his benefit. "They should be here." She rushed back across the room and grabbed the stretcher waiting there for use. "Come on!" She led him out of the area and toward the front door. She pointed toward the slowing van careening around the corner and screeching on its brakes. "There!"

As soon as the vehicle snapped to an abrupt stop, Cisco and Patty jumped out. As she opened the door to Barry's seat, he did the same thing with the rear doors.

Caitlin almost felt her heart sinking again. She grimaced at the sight of Barry's bruised face and bloodied features. "Patty, help me with Barry please! Guys, get Zoom into the cell." With a desperate burst of strength, she tugged the unconscious hero off of the seat, guiding his shoulders and upper body onto the stretcher.

Patty supported Barry's legs while finishing the task. "Got him!" She slammed the door shut before pushing with Caitlin to get him into the facility. _Come on, Barry! You've got to make it!_ Despite the curiosities and questions surrounding them, she ignored them all for the present. Her mind instead focusing on her scientist….her hero. "Where are we going?"

"Not much further!" Caitlin guided them through the facility and into the infirmary where the healing equipment awaited them. "Help me get him on here." After they lifted him onto the bed, she immediately began scanning him for vitals and other readings.

Patty backed away allowing Caitin her space. She trembled at the sight of Barry's broken form. Once more she relived that awful night before….

…before and now it seemed…..

She bit her lip. Her eyes watered. She felt numb all over. She folded her hands and muttered a silent prayer for him.

And so it went…..


	8. Guiding Lectures

Chapter 8 [Dreamscape]

Barry stirred and forced his eyes open. Pain's white hot needles stabbed through his arms, legs and torso. His nostrils threatened to plug up from the noxious odors. He shivered almost uncontrollably. He ground his teeth while trying to vibrate and generate heat.

As in his fall earlier, nothing came.

"Not again!" He could barely manage to lift his arms a couple of inches before Pain seared at them again. "I…I failed again."

 _Stop already, will you, Barry?_

"H…huh?" He recognized the voice but didn't know where it was coming from. _C…can't be….He's…._

 _Dead? Hell of a way for you to greet someone._

Barry raised his head to meet the voice's source. His eyes bulged in shock. "E…Eddie?"

Eddie Thawne stepped forward with a rather large pillow under his arm. Despite the sacrifice he'd suffered, he appeared as he had in life. His blonde hair neatly parted and rested on his head. As if on duty, he wore his suit and tie. His badge glinted on his belt. "Yeah, Barry. It's me. Come on. Up you go." He grasped the battered hero's hand and yanked him to his feet. He snaked his hand under the other's arms and supported him as they made their way toward a rather large oak tree with a sizable stump next to it. "Can you manage to sit if I put this under your head?"

"Y…yeah. Thanks, Eddie," Barry expressed while slumping onto the stump. His head reclined against the pillow's softness. "That's great. Wish I deserved it." He coughed harshly. "You're the…hero, Dude."

"And you aren't? Hey, Barry, hate to break it to you but you're _everyone_ 's inspiration," Eddie disagreed while sitting on a patch of dead grass next to the stump. "You're a great CSI. You care about Joe and Iris. Patty's a terrific person. You'd _better_ take care of her."

"If she…doesn't leave. Wish Zoom would leave me alone." Barry shook his head sadly. "I don't want Patty to be like Iris is." He sighed deeply. "Sorry. She misses you."

"I know. I miss her too." Eddie frowned. "Still I look in on her every chance I get. Tell her that for me. Okay?"

Barry grinned. "Definitely."

"That's better already," Eddie complimented. "Now _please_ stop sulking already! You've freed your Dad. Your Mom accepts you. Again you have a great job, life and a dynamite lady. You're _never_ alone if you _ever_ were. Go forward. Use those talents and run the Hell out of those metas. Got it? Don't make me come back and kick your ass." He smiled at the other man. "I'm proud of you."

"Wish I had sacrificed myself instead of you," Barry lamented.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Still you don't get it. It was my time, Barry. Deal with it. At least I'm a hero now."

"You always were." Barry managed to forget his pain. He embraced his friend tightly. "We all miss you."

"Have faith. Things will work out." Eddie accepted the hug and returned the gesture enthusiastically. Then he glanced toward the sky and nodded. "Speaking of which, it's time to head back."

"Head back?" Barry managed to walk a few hesitant steps. "How? I…"

"Have faith, Dude. The rest will come…." Eddie smirked warmly and waved to him. Then he melted away into the backdrop much as fog would on an autumn day.

Barry took a deep breath and mused over his friend's advice. "I'm not a failure. I can do this. He believes in me. I have to find a way out." He flexed his arms and legs dispelling the leaden feeling in them. He felt the electricity shooting through them.

The speedforce had reembraced him inviting him back to its currents so to speak….

He raced around in several directions furiously looking for the way out. For what seemed like hours, he zipped in this direction and that.

"Where? I…." He looked about in confusion. "Eddie's right but which way?"

 _Barry! Barry, come back to us! Come back to me!_

"Patty? Patty! Where are you?" Barry realized. He concentrated using his ears to discern that voice's source.

 _Follow your heart. Please!_

"Follow my…." He listened to the words carefully. He closed his eyes and focused on his heart's beating. He delved into the beating…and then the beating behind the beating….

…to the one whose heart his beat for….

For several seconds he listened intently to the beloved rhythm. He discerned with great effort from where the beats' source resonated. Then instinctually, he sped off in that direction away from the source of his pain.

Almost immediately a bright light swept across the landscape engulfing it and the Flash alike leaving neither to attest to what had happened therein…..


	9. Collaborations

Chapter 9 [STAR Labs]

[A/N: Patty wanted into the inner circle…She finds out a lot more and meets certain friends of Barry's….]

Much as Cisco had done earlier, Joe screeched his car to a stop adjacent to the lab facility. As much as he'd hated to leave Barry hanging, he and Iris had dealt with Singh and his CCPD colleagues making sure there would be no strings left hanging or anything to chance….

…no way he'd allow Barry's secret to be endangered…no how….

He sucked in a deep breath. "Lord, I just hope he's okay." He set the parking brake and glanced toward his daughter. "Anything?"

Iris nodded numbly. She forced a breath before managing to respond. "Patty says he's being treated. Zoom's contained."

He shook his head furiously. "I'm tempted to shoot that bastard again."

"Dad, he's already paralyzed." As angry as she was at the ebon-clad villain, she didn't want him dead. "He'll stand trial and be punished. Barry would want that."

"Yeah." He trembled and shook in pain. He couldn't stand the thought of the young man he'd raised to manhood dealing with any more pain. "He'd want justice."

"Besides Patty's with him. She's not letting go now. Neither are we." She squeezed his hand in support. "I'm _not_ losing him too!"

"Count on that." He embraced her tightly. "Let's go and see what we can do. Come on. Ready, Baby?"

"Ready, Dad." She undid her seat belt and let herself out of the car. Following him closely, she slipped into the facility behind him. Matching frantic step for frantic step, they pushed forward toward the scene ahead…

[Infirmary—Five minutes earlier]

Patty sipped anxiously on a cup of coffee. She trembled with anxious fear. Her eyes refused to leave the battered hero's face not wanting to miss the flicker of an eyelid or the deeper breath. Her earlier anger had dissipated like so much smoke before a strong gust of wind. Her mind remained numb to her surroundings. "Come back to me," she implored in an angst-ridden whisper as she struggled to take in what was going on in front of herself.

Over his fallen form, Caitlin and Cisco watched monitors for vital signs. They performed procedures with the skill of practiced diagnosticians.

On the computer screen behind them, Team Arrow worked away to assist as they could do so. Felicity Smoak facilitated the procedures remotely from the Arrow cave maximizing the on-site processing as much as she could manage. As with the monitors in Central City, Barry's vitals occupied one of her screens. Flanking her, the Green Arrow and Spartan talked pointedly via their comms with the League of Assassins and A.R.G.U.S. respectively and reminding them of their debts to the Flash.

No stone was going to be left unturned in getting Barry back….

"Guys! Barry's pulse is spiking! Get ready!" Felicity ordered.

Barely three seconds later, the alarms went off on the monitor. The waves following the heartbeat became more frantic.

Barry spasmed and vibrated frenetically.

"Barry!" Patty jumped from her chair allowing the cup to spill on the floor beside herself. She rushed to his bedside. Desperately she grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. "Come on! You can make it!" Despite the harshness of his movements and how much they hurt the very bones in her hands, she would not let go…not for anything…. "You're _not dying! COME ON!_ "

At that moment, Joe and Iris rushed in. The sight in front of them put them further into shock if that was possible.

"Sorry. You might want to stand back!" Caitlin directed. Seeing Barry slow down to near normal spasming, she requested, "Cisco, can you hold him?"

"I've got him. Make it quick!" Cisco bellowed albeit more forcefully than he meant.

Caitlin nodded tacitly before injecting a sedative into the patient's arm. "That'll relax him." She exhaled deeply. "Anything new?"

"Heart rate's back in normal range for him. Thankfully," Felicity reported with some relief. "I'm still going to kill him for taking Zoom on alone _again_."

"Get in line. I get first crack in that regard," Patty rebutted through heavy desperate breaths. She glanced at the others surrounding them in person and virtually speaking. "Girlfriend's prerogative."

"I'm still senior partner in this regard," Joe interjected as he and Iris joined her at the bedside. "Any progress?"

"Vitals are stabilized, Detective," Felicity reported. She rubbed her forehead in consternation.

"Barry has a concussion, a bruised sternum and two broken ribs. His forearm's going to need a cast at least for a couple of days," Caitlin assessed. "Patty, I'm going to take x-rays of your hands as well."

Patty stared incredulously at them all. " _Excuse me?_ Sorry but how would you know how to read an x-ray? I'm struggling to understand how you all are treating Barry. I really need to get to a hospital when we're set here."

"It's okay, Patty. They know what they're doing," Iris assured her. "They're the very best at what they do."

"But they're vigilantes! That's _the Arrow_ for crying out loud! We should be tracing this! Star City PD needs to know…." Patty protested.

"Captain Lance knows about us, Detective Spivot," Green Arrow indicated through his modulated voice. "So you're the girl. Barry spoke highly of you."

"He…did?" Patty quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "How does he know you all?"

"We've worked a few cases together," Felicity reported. "We met three years ago. Barry was in Star City investigating a lead on his mother. Our paths crossed you might say." She fixed her glasses. "That was right before the particle accelerator explosion. Since then we've helped you all. You all have helped us too."

"Joe, is she serious?" Patty insisted.

"Damn serious," Joe noted. "I'll admit I don't always agree with their methods, Patty. Still they do work with the SCPD in their own fashion." He exhaled sharply. "And they've kept Barry alive at several points. Give them some slack. They are helping to save Barry's life here."

Patty bit her lip. Going along with vigilantes ran against everything she believed in. She glanced at her boyfriend wondering though how much that really held true. _If I can support what he does, how can I accuse them?_ She resolved to let them continue to prove themselves. "All right. I do owe you all for saving his life. Sorry if I sound like an ass. I don't know you all. Until tonight, I didn't know Caitlin, Cisco and Jay really did this stuff. Joe, we still need to talk about things."

"Yeah we do," her partner relented knowing that it was going to be some discussion in that regard. "Let's just get Barry back first. Okay?"

Patty nodded. "Hope you all don't mind if we do the same? Maybe in a neutral place? I don't want to arrest anyone. I just have questions." She sighed. "I'm just tired of being shut out. I want to understand. I'm willing to bear the secrets."

"She can definitely do that," Iris supported her.

The Team Arrow members considered each other for a minute before Green Arrow spoke again, "That works, Detective. Remember though these are heavy secrets and undertakings."

"I wouldn't expect any less as the Flash's girlfriend," Patty noted. "I do appreciate what you're doing for him. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Felicity responded evenly. While she wouldn't normally stomach such accusations, she recalled how she'd felt at the beginning of her association with Oliver and Diggle. Besides she could hear in Patty's voice how much the latter wanted to embrace Barry's life on the whole.

"Besides anyone who can take Zoom down deserves a shot…pun intended," Cisco chimed in.

"Hey! I got one in him too," Joe reminded them.

Felicity rolled her eyes at the banter given the circumstances. "Cisco, keep an eye on those monitors. He's…"

"Guys, keep it down. Okay?" Barry groaned low. Pain ripped through his injuries forcing him to grit his teeth.

"Barry? Oh wow!" Patty grasped onto him as much as she could with just her arms. "We were so worried!"

"Yeah…well Zoom didn't give me many options," Barry pointed out wearily. "I just wish I didn't hurt so much. Even my toenails ache."

"Just wait until we talk next, Barry Allen," Felicity pointed out. "After they're done, you get _me_."

Barry grimaced knowing the lecture he was going to receive on the next trip to Star City. "Yeah I'll have to keep that in mind." Much to his relief, he could feel his legs and arms this time around. The pain he could deal without however. "You should have been with me. That was some dream." He slowly reached up with his good arm and rubbed the back of his neck. "Iris?"

"What is it?" Iris queried while rushing to his side.

"I'm not exactly sure I believe what I saw in there. But I had help getting back. I heard Patty's voice calling to me. But…" He squeezed Patty's forearm in gratitude. "But I saw Eddie. He told me to have a better attitude on things. He also wanted you to know he misses you."

Iris choked back a happy sob. While she wasn't the most spiritual person, she did believe that her deceased _fiancé_ could be like that. "That sounds like Eddie."

"Damn straight," Joe agreed while embracing his daughter. "At least you're back with us, Barr."

Barry savored the contact and his friends all looking in on him. Granted there were times that he ran on his own. He did feel alone. At that moment however he knew he wasn't.

He had his friends. They were there when he needed them. All of them.

"Wow," Barry exclaimed while taking it all in.

"Just remember this, Barry. No more need to keep secrets from me," Patty insisted while kissing his forehead. "By the way, that Zoom creep is locked up. He isn't going to be running anywhere anymore." She smirked with an air of triumph.

"Uh…okay." Barry glanced at Cisco. "What's she…getting at?"

"Zoom's in a cell locked away. Gotta hand it to Patty. She went all commando on him! Damn!" Cisco recounted. "Joe finished him off."

"Don't mess with my guy. I don't take threats to you lying down either, Barry," Patty declared with a grin.

"None of us do," the Green Arrow concurred. "We'll meet again soon, Everyone. Glad that you're okay, Barry. Take care."

"Stay put. That's an order! You do anything _stupid_ and I'll find out. Just take your time and heal. All right? _Please!_ " Felicity half-implored/half-ordered. "See you around, Folks. Call if you need anything else." With that, she shut down the connection turning the screen dark.

"I'm so dead," Barry complained. He noticed that Patty was in discomfort. "What's going on with you?"

"My hands hurt. I grabbed you while you were vibrating. Guess I need an x-ray," Patty explained before turning to Caitlin. "If the offer's still open, I could really use that assessment, Caitlin. Then we can see what the Hell's going on with Zoom?"

"Patty, you shouldn't have done that. Great. Now I've hurt you too," Barry lamented.

"Just like you do for us, Barry. Leave a cat stuck in the tree for the rest of us. Okay? Just rest. I'll be back," Patty retorted not leaving ground for argument. With that, she followed Caitlin toward the exam area.

"I wouldn't argue with her, Barr," Joe declared.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Barry smiled warmly at the thought of having his girl close at hand. He studied Iris' mixed expression. "Sorry I had to mention Eddie."

"What? Don't be, Barry. Thank you for telling me. I appreciate that," Iris assured him. "As they said, you rest and heal."

Barry exhaled sharply. He didn't look forward to another healing up period. Still he hoped Patty would be okay. In addition he worried about Zoom potentially escaping to wreck more havoc on them. _Just let everything work out okay for once!_ He put his head back on the pillow and tried to relax.

As Eddie had promised, everything had come together.

If it could last was the question…..


	10. Treatment and Aborted Girl Talk

Chapter 10 [Twenty minutes later]

Patty sat despondently beside the x-ray machine in question. To say her mind was struggling to keep up with everything proved a grotesque understatement…..

…her boyfriend was a _superhero_ or a _vigilante_ (depending upon one's point of view)….

…He ran around with _other vigilantes_ …

…His friends…the _seemingly normal_ friends…were part of the STAR Labs 'weird science' squad….

…She had to shoot the bad ass villain…Zoom as they called him….

…And Joe had known about this the whole time… _he knew_ ….

Her throbbing hands burned her back to reality. She sighed. "Wonder what I did now?" She glanced over at Caitlin. "Anything?"

Caitlin twisted her lip. "At least your hands aren't powder and jello. That was a brave thing you did, Patty." She pointed to the recently developed x-rays which sat against an enhanced white board making the former reveal their secrets. "You've got some minor breaks in the bones between your thumb and index finger in the right hand. The left hand has minor breaks between the second and third fingers in addition to an identical one as the right hand. If I can get them into splints, the bones will reset themselves. You're going to need some physical therapy though."

"Okay." Patty could at least understand that prognosis. "I guess it could be worse, right? Maybe Barry can wait on me for a bit?"

Caitlin shrugged. "You'll need to ask him that. Somehow though I don't think that'll be a problem." She opened a cabinet and fished around in there for a minute. "Yes. Here they are!"

"I just feel bad though. Barry's got enough on his plate with all of this. Still I want to understand. Hope I don't sound too judgmental, Caitlin," Patty conceded allowing a guilty and contrite frown onto her face.

Caitlin sighed. As with Felicity, she really wasn't into allowing people to fire off accusations at the people she cared for. Still, as with the blonde hacker, she empathized with the detective. "You did at times back there I have to admit. Still your worlds as cop and girlfriend are clashing. Understandable under the circumstances. Still do me a favor? Maybe tone it down just a little? Believe it or not, we're all on the same side here," Caitlin elaborated while producing several metal strips, a roll of gauze and a roll of medical tape. "It's okay to ask questions. Maybe it might have saved us a few situations?"

"You mean like shooting that other Harrison Wells?" Patty supposed.

"Yes that. We did save him although it took Jay making a really big sacrifice to do so." Caitlin eyed the other woman's hands. "I've got some pain meds if you want for those hands."

Patty shook her head. "Let's get them set. Maybe later. Thanks."

"Okay." Caitlin set the metal strips onto Patty's right hand and secured them over the appropriate places with the gauze and then the tape. "What do you mean sacrifice?"

"Jay had to take an experimental serum to be able to vibrate like Barry does. He used that to deal with the bullet." Caitlin sighed while taking another coffee gulp. "I know you have a lot of questions. We don't mind answering them or sharing information. Just give us a chance. Give yourself a chance. For what it's worth, you're hanging in there great."

"Thanks. And I'll be asking those questions if you all don't mind. I just tend to leap in with both feet and…." Patty saw Jay stumbling into the lab area. "Caitlin, what's with him?"

Caitlin turned and her eyes went wide. Her face turned white. Her heart threatened to stop as she saw Jay's condition. She managed to support him as his legs gave out. "Jay, what is it?"

"My…condition. Body's breaking down…without speed force. Need speed…." Jay muttered before he lapsed into unconsciousness.

"No! Jay, come on!" Caitlin panicked for a minute. For a brief second, she hesitated. Her own trauma over losing Ronnie paralyzing her.

"Caitlin, what's going on? We need to help him!" Patty urged in frustration. She couldn't help because of her hands. "We need HELP IN HERE!"

Cisco and Joe rushed into the room not understanding what was going on.

"DAMN!" Cisco explained as he and Joe hoisted the unconscious former speedster onto the exam table.

"What's wrong with him?" Patty wondered.

"Zoom did this. Jay used to be like Barry. Zoom stole his speed like he was going to do to Barry. We need to reverse that…like _now_ ," Cisco explained.

"And how are you going to do that?" Joe supposed with an edge to his voice. "Ask Zoom pretty please or something?"

"Something like that," Cisco noted. "Be right back." He grabbed the stretcher and wheeled it back to the table's side. "Help me get him on there." When Joe and he had done that, he grabbed what looked like a pair of needles and a long tube.

"What is _that_?" Patty asked.

Caitlin blinked while trying to get her own wits collected. "It's…his theory on getting Jay's speed back to him. Cisco, it's not tested!"

"Look at him! Do we really have time for a field test? He's dying! _Now!_ " Cisco retorted.

"Cisco, we get it but maybe you might want to show some sensitivity? She was just telling me the same thing," Patty reminded him tersely. "Look. I know it's like pot calling the kettle black or something. Can we just save him? Caitlin, I don't know all of this science stuff. It's like I'm in the middle of one of my scifi shows or something! But maybe if you all have a chance, shouldn't you take it? Jay's dying. Right? Save him already. At least _try._ "

"She's got a point," Joe noted.

"Jay and I rigged the apparatus right by Zoom's cell. We can have it up and running in a couple of minutes," Cisco indicated.

Caitlin glanced at them all. She looked down at her new boyfriend's suffering form and bit her lip. She didn't want him dying from some untested procedure. However…he probably would die anyway without it. Her mind weighed all of the probabilities. Then she conceded a nod. "Patty's right. Let's get him there."

"Sweet! Let's get this show on the road!" Cisco hustled Jay down the hall toward Zoom's cell.

"Someone needs to get that boy a chill pill," Joe muttered before heading down the same passage.

Patty slowly made her way toward Caitlin. "For what it's worth, thanks for taking me seriously just now. I know Barry really cares about you all. I can see why."

"Why wouldn't I? You're trying to empathize with us. You want to save Jay for his sake not to prove a point. I appreciate that, Patty. Thank you. Just be patient with Cisco. He's not being as crass as he sounds. He cares too. He… _sometimes_ …gets a little too involved with the procedures."

"Like a boy with his toys, right? Guy needs a woman in his life. _Seriously_ ," Patty presumed. "Is Barry going to be okay while we're dealing with Jay and that creep down there?"

"Iris and the monitors would both let us know if anything happens, I'm sure. As for Cisco, we definitely are on the same page in that regard. He's had some bad luck lately. Now let's go and save Jay," Caitlin assured her.

"Lead on," Patty concurred as they headed down the hall toward the scene of the next drama at hand. She felt a little better in spite of everything. At least everyone took her seriously there.

Now if only she could take a serious role. That would be the question….


	11. Helping Jay

Chapter 11 [Zoom's Cell]

As the others dealt with Barry, Patty and Jay above, Zoom stewed in the cell. He'd been _so_ close to his goal of being the Master of the Speed Force. He'd sapped several other speedsters of their respective energies leaving them behind like so much refuse at the side of the road…..

…the way he was now ironically enough….

He coughed on his own bile. The sardonic twist that the woman who served a major part as the distraction/heartbreaker _vis-à-vis_ Barry had outsmarted him. Worse she'd barreled into the role of hero taking him out of this phase of the engagement. Her cowardly shots had blown out his knees.

Worse yet the speed force dampening field about his cell slowed his own healing rate down. No matter…once he was at the cell where the heroes would dump him, he'd heal soon enough. He would have the use of his limbs back. He would regain the speed. Then he would be back at his peak.

 _Then I will be revenged on them all!_

He craned his neck to discover the annoyingly enthusiastic inventor pushing a stretcher toward himself. _"HERE TO GLOAT, ARE WE? I WILL NOT BE HERE FOREVER, BOY!"_ Seeing Jay's prone form, he sniggered with satisfaction. _"AND SO THE HERO DIES! ONE DAY, THAT WILL BE BARRY ALLEN AS WELL!"_

"Not in this lifetime, Dude." Cisco rolled his eyes at the prisoner. "First thing you need to get moving again. That'll take longer once we do what we're going to do." He pressed a panel on the wall with his hand allowing a hidden panel to slide open. Disappearing into the newly-revealed room for a couple of heartbeats, he wheeled out what at first glance appeared to be a shop-vac.

" _YOU SEEK TO BEST ME WITH A MERE TOY? YOU ARE DELUDED!"_ Zoom chided.

Cisco smirked. "Maybe. Let's see who will be laughing at the end of this." He produced the tube he'd carried from the lab. Looking at the attachments hanging from it, he plugged two into the device's ports.

"Cisco, what's going on?" Joe demanded while rushing to Jay's side.

"We're going to take back what's Jay's, Joe," Cisco noted with a hint of anger. "Sorry. I've waited for this since he left Barry paralyzed."

"We all have. Make sure we do the right thing," Joe emphasized. Despite the advice he had to restrain his own anger toward the disabled prisoner in front of them. He held his own weapon just in case Zoom had managed to pull a miraculous healing trick.

" _SUCH NOBILITY, WEST! YOU SHOT ME IN THE BACK! I WILL PAY YOU AND THAT BITCH BACK IN KIND!?_ Zoom vowed.

"Please _try_ ," Joe invited while displaying his revolver. "Next one goes between your eyes." He frowned intensely; his eyes glaring into the prisoner's. "That is _when_ you can _walk your ass_ back!"

"Joe, Barry wouldn't want this. As he told me, we can't do it," Patty reminded her partner as she and Caitlin reached that point. "Just get that thing hooked up."

"Cisco, what is that? I know you and Jay were working on something but…." Caitlin surprise upon seeing the device.

"Before Harry screwed things up with the Turtle, Jay and I managed to isolate the dampening element in his blood. This field is part of it. So's… _this_." He nodded with satisfaction. "We're going to steal Jay's speed back. Put the other needle in Jay's arm."

Once again Caitlin felt insecure about this procedure. Still she knew Jay would die if they did nothing anyhow. She sucked in a desperate breath while rubbing betadine on Jay's arm. Then she stuck the needle into his arm. "Just come back to us, okay?"

Jay's eyes flickered open. He managed a brief smile before his eyes closed again.

"Say hello to the slow lane, Jerk!" Cisco crowed. Granted he wanted to unmask their opponent. Still their emphasis lay in saving Jay first. He pulled Zoom's sleeve up and rammed the needle into the unfeeling arm.

Still the treat would be forthcoming. Count on that….

"What?" Patty demanded not understanding what the intention was behind their actions.

"You know about blood transfusions, right?" Seeing her nod, Cisco continued, "This goodie here sucks out his speed and puts it back into Jay." He grinned triumphantly. "Maybe if there's some left, I'll give it to Barry. Press the blue button on top of it, Caitlin. Time to get this show on the road!"

Caitlin squeezed Jay's hand as she pressed the designated button. "This is for you." She bent over and kissed the patient's brow.

The device hummed to life.

Cisco pulled a lever next to the cell shutting down the dampening field. "Got to have full effect for this to work. Too bad you can't feel this, Pal. It'd be quite the rush."

Zoom lay still for a brief second. Then he spasmed. _"ARRGHHHH!"_ He shook uncontrollably much as Barry's had done in the midst of the nightmare.

The glow flowed down the tube ever so slowly. It made its way through the machine. Then it continued on and into Jay.

Cisco kept his eyes locked onto the displays at the device's surface. "Flow's starting. Zoom's just dropped to 99 percent. Jay's at 1 percent."

"Just hope that thing can handle the output," Joe muttered to himself.

"I just hope Jay can handle the rush without getting a heart attack," Caitlin noted anxiously.

"Have faith in the tech. The tech is good," Cisco insisted. He nodded as the display kept winding down the process. "Jay's at 20 percent!"

"Keep going. Just keep going," Caitlin urged. She mouthed a silent prayer and rubbed Jay's shoulder.

"45 percent!" Cisco announced seeing the progress. "Anything?"

"He's still not moving. His pulse is increasing. It's doing something!" Caitlin reported. "What's going on with Zoom?"

"He's at 82 percent." Cisco patted his device's top almost affectionately. "Come on, Baby! Don't let me down now! Jay's at 78 percent!"

Jay's eyes bulged open. He sucked in a deep breath. He gaped silently and spasmed.

"His numbers are erratic! Cisco!" Caitlin cut in. "He's going to have a stroke if we keep this up!"

"Cisco, stop. Okay? Yeah we'd like to suck Zoom dry but we can't kill Jay!" Joe implored.

Cisco rolled his eyes before he cut the flow. "What are we looking at?"

Caitlin put the stethoscope against Jay's chest. She listened intently and nodded. "Heartbeat's returning to normal!"

"Wh…what?" Jay inquired hesitantly. His eyes opened slowly. He sucked in a couple of deep breaths. "Caitlin?"

"I'm here! You're okay!" Caitlin cheered before embracing him tightly.

"Cool beans!" Cisco cheered before starting the dampening field around the cell again. "Anything on the stuff?"

Jay closed his eyes and concentrated. Then the grin spread across his face. For so long, he'd longed for the electric charges. He'd wished for the speed force to loft underneath him. His eyes sparked. He vibrated his hand super quickly.

"Jay, please. Don't push it," Caitlin begged.

"It's okay. I feel great." Jay stood and walked up to the cell. "At least Zoom's where he should be."

Zoom glared at his Earth-2 antagonist. _"YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING, GARRICK! I WILL TAKE BACK WHAT IS MINE!"_

Jay wasn't impressed. "We'll send you back home for prosecution, Zoom. Stay there and think on that for a while." He turned back to his friends. "Thank you, Everyone."

"Hey! No sweat, Guy! We're all a team!" Cisco cheered while holding his hand up.

Jay granted him a calm high-five before giving them all a nod. "Joe, Patty, thank you too."

"Me? What did I do?" Patty wondered while looking at her hands.

"Your belief in Barry and willingness to go along with what's going on is vital. I appreciate that, Patty. Thank you. Have more belief in your own capabilities. All right?" Jay complimented.

Seeing everyone's support in that regard, Patty felt a huge load come off of her shoulders. "Thank you, Jay. Glad to see you're feeling better. Maybe I can ask some questions so I can understand Barry's stuff?"

"Certainly. Just let me know how I can help," Jay agreed. Then he embraced Caitlin. "And thank you."

"No problem." Caitlin beamed while allowing her lips to whisper affectionately across his cheek. "Good to see you back to full strength. I will have to run tests you understand?"

"Run whatever tests you need to, _Dr. Snow_ ," Jay gibed warmly while letting his eyes sparkle into hers.

"Meantime shouldn't we go and check on Barry?" Joe reminded them all. Granted he was just as glad that Zoom was contained and Jay's abilities were restored as everyone else. Still his adopted son's situation still concerned him.

"As soon as I get to see who's under that mask," Cisco asserted. He marched into the cell and ripped the covering from the prisoner's face. He stared incredulously. "Damn! Glad Iris can't see this!"

Joe shook his head furiously. "Definitely not our guy!"

Eddie Thawne laughed sarcastically at the group. "And I'm glad I'm not that weakling! I would _never_ have given myself like that!''

"That's what separates him from you. I was proud to have him as my partner!" Joe glared at the prisoner for several seconds. His forefinger twitched on his revolver's trigger causing static in the air and aggravating everyone's nerves. Then he holstered his weapon. "You aren't worth it. I have my daughter and Barry to look in on. Rot in there for all I care!" He stormed away.

"Wow." Patty stared at the prisoner. She studied the other's reactions. "He looks so much like Detective Thawne!"

"I _am_ Eddie Thawne, you blonde idiot! I'm better than him. What Allen sees in you, I don't understand. Worthless bimbo!" Thawne chided.

Patty snorted having lots of experience from dealing with insults of that nature from perps and fellow officers alike. "Guess that's why you're in that cell? Just remember we took you down. I _cut your knees out from under you, Jackass!_ " She rolled her eyes. "Anyway you can secure him, Cisco? Barry needs my TLC. Excuse me." She headed off toward the main infirmary.

"She definitely has the right idea," Caitlin concurred. "Field holding, Cisco?"

"Ooh yeah! Even if he could move, Zoom won't be doing any speed forcing in there! Score!" Cisco affirmed enthusiastically. He pressed the button securing the blast doors on the prison area. "I'd rather be with our speed guy anyhow! Follow me!" He led them back down the hallway and up to the infirmary.

There they found Patty sharing an enthusiastic lip lock with the remaining patient.

Off to the side, Iris and Joe admired the sight. Of course, the latter was already ways to tease the couple later on.

Iris sighed. "Dad told me about Zoom. He's really Earth-2 Eddie?"

""Fraid so," Cisco confirmed.

"He's not our Eddie though, Iris," Caitlin assured her friend. "He was a million times the man that his counterpart is."

"You've got that right," Iris agreed while wiping a tear from her eye. "At least he won't be hurting anyone else."

"Meantime we'll have some time to help each other heal. Won't we?" Barry supposed while looking to his girlfriend.

"Oh? We just might, _Mr. Allen_." Patty grinned. She held up her splinted hands. "You might have to wait on me for a while."

Barry smirked. "I don't think I'll mind that."

"That'll be something worth watching," Joe cracked.

"Dad, stop!" Iris chided. "Don't worry, you two. We'll make sure everything's okay."

"Meantime they were telling me you're okay too, Jay?" Barry queried.

Jay nodded. "I've got my full abilities back. Seems I have a reason to stay even after returning Zoom to Earth-2."

"And that would be?" Caitlin presumed.

"Guess," Jay replied with a smile and an affectionate embrace around her shoulders with his left arm. "Maybe we'll have to race sometime, Barry?"

"We'll just have to see who's the fastest. Now won't we?" Barry concurred.

"Yes we will. Right now though, I think we all could use some dinner. Pizza on me!" Joe noted.

With the crisis at hand finished, everyone could definitely relate to that idea. That and the opportunity to mingle some more.

And in such ways, Crisis' clouds dispersed, allowing Hope to lighten the mood significantly….


	12. Reunion at the Precinct

Chapter 12 [Next Morning—CCPD Precinct]

The sun rose peacefully casting a relaxing spectrum to greet the citizens on their morning jogs, coffee runs and duty drags to the job at hand. The birds sang serenely from their leafy perches. A gentle breeze wafted through the canyons of concrete, steel and glass.

Such were the day's enticements leading to so much more….

Patty bit her lip in the backseat of Joe's car. She glanced out the window at the urban buzz streaking by. She sighed and looked down at her hands. During the previous day's adrenaline rush, she hadn't thought so much about those things. The thought of being waited on seemed alluring to say the least. Still, for someone who craved control, her situation daunted her.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Barry queried.

"Hmmm?" She composed herself reassuming the mask over her concerns. "Nothing. Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "You've been depressed since breakfast. I think I know you enough to get when something's bothering you. At least now that I'm paying attention." He inhaled a deep breath.

She shrugged. "Guess I get what I asked for. Don't I?" Despite her moods, she smiled at him. "Sorry. I just feel so helpless. I know it's fun to be waited on, chauffeured about and even having everything done for me. Still I just wish I could do more."

"You did enough yesterday and the night before. Your hands are the way they are because you got me out of my funk. You reached out to me. Let me return the favor. I should've let you in when I hurt my back. I can still do a lot and be back before you blink. Remember?" he reminded her. "It's no bother." He held her closely against himself. "You stood up to Zoom like _three times_. That merits special consideration."

"Nice of you to think so," she teased.

"Yeah so sue me." He glanced down at her hands. "We'll deal with your situation together. Let's just get things figured out first. Then we can go from there."

A tear coursed down her cheek. "And here I was afraid I'd be stuck in some rehab place."

"You'll need rehab but not a prison sentence. I've made a few friends. So have the people you met yesterday. We can get you a specialist without the bad food and sterile rooms. You get to put up with me though," he pointed out with satisfaction.

"The food and rooms might be better," she cracked while letting her eyes sparkle into his.

"Hey!"

She chuckled sweetly at him. "Just kidding. You have no idea how great it is to hear you saying that, Barry." Her lips brushed _Amor_ 's strokes across his cheek.

Before Barry could respond, a throat cleared from the front driver's seat. "You know that the windows are fogging up in here?"

Barry shook his head and allowed his surrogate father figure a playful smirk. "We're having a moment back here, Joe."

"Uh huh. And America's waiting with baited breath too. Young love, ain't it great?" Joe retorted with a bit of warm mirth. He turned the car into the police parking lot. "Seriously, Patty, I am with Barr on that point. You did enough. And no, you don't need to prove yourself like _every day_. All right?" He parked the car in his designated spot.

"Thanks, Joe. I appreciate that," Patty expressed gratefully. "Since I did quit before this all happened, I wasn't sure how I was going to support myself."

"Don't worry about that," Barry assured her.

"Let's talk to Singh and see what happens," Joe suggested. "He should be in a better mood now that Zoom is at Iron Heights. You okay with that extra speed stuff in you. Barr?"

"So far. Yeah. It just feels like I've had too many energy drinks or something. I'll deal," Barry admitted. He thought back to the previous day's experience…

…when Cisco drained off the rest of Earth-2 Eddie's speed force to top off Jay's reserves and boost Barry's abilities in that regard….

…and that was before he, as the Flash, and Patty dropped the other dimensional villain at the prison facility….

Barry smiled and turned to her. "We _are_ a team. Remember?"

"Oh I remember all right. Nice of you to do the same," she replied with sly amusement in her tone. "Let's get this over with."

Joe got out and opened the door for his partner. "Don't want Barry to have all of the fun, you know."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Sure, Joe." She got out and waited for her scientist to do the same. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Barry concurred with a blissful smile. Even if he needed to deal with the cases and grim details, having her around made it easier. He led her toward the stairs with Joe following closely behind. For some reason, he felt a strange energy emanating from the building in front of them. Cautiously he made his way inside first to make sure the coast was clear.

All seemed normal inside at first glance at least….

"It's just the precinct, Guys. Weird, huh?" Joe gibed with a playful grin on his face. "Let's get to that paperwork." As they crossed into the precinct proper, he made eye contact with a few of their cohorts and exchanged tacit nods.

On cue, Singh strode from his office meeting the incoming trio halfway into the bullpen proper. "Good morning, you three. Glad to see you're back and that you're still in one piece. Good work on that collar."

"NICE JOB, SPIVOT AND WEST!" one of the senior officers called out before leading a round of applause.

Joe offered the crowd another tacit nod. He simply shook Singh's hand and stepped back allowing her the moment.

Patty blushed while feeling embarrassed by all of the attention. Just three days earlier, she'd felt cast out and alone within this building…that nobody cared….

Now she saw how wrong she'd been.

"Go on. Enjoy the moment. Say something," Barry whispered encouragingly in her ear.

She nodded before allowing herself to indulge in the attention. "I just did my job. I protected my friends and boyfriend is all. Joe helped too. And well, Barry texted me to let me know that Zoom was outside. We're a team."

Singh nodded in appreciation. He assessed Barry's bruises and efforted movements before continuing. "Nice piece, Spivot. I want everyone here to remember that. We work together. We survive together. Maybe not all of us can be on the front lines but we have roles." He shook his head. "Allen, you should be more careful though. It's not like you're the Flash. Quit taking such chances. Take a couple of days and get yourself back on track. I want you at your best."

Patty fought to keep a poker face. She couldn't believe that Barry didn't react to that statement.

 _You'd be surprised!_ Joe mused to himself although he did wish Barry would follow their superior's advice.

"Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you," Barry noted evenly despite knowing he would do just the opposite. Still he enjoyed diverting attention from potentially being discovered in his alter ego role….

…and thus eliminating part of his nightmare…..

…besides he wanted to let his detective have her moment in the sun….

Singh allowed them to have a moment before continuing on, "I guess this means you're staying on, Spivot? I spoke to Midway State yesterday. They've agreed to suspend your admission until you're ready to pursue those studies. While you're healing up, maybe you might wish to shadow Allen for a while? He has a lot he can teach you. Perhaps you can teach him some things as well."

Joe coughed at that assessment.

"Be glad to, Sir," Patty concurred. "I don't want to leave Joe without a partner though."

Singh shook his head. "That's already been taken care of. Joe, umm….we found you a partner. Weird how he surfaced again."

"Surfaced again? What the Hell?" Joe demanded.

"He's waiting at your desk. Spivot, when you're ready, come in and we'll get that paperwork done for your leave and the time upstairs. See you all in a few minutes," Singh concluded before heading back to his office.

Patty looked toward her former desk wanting to know who was now occupying that place. Her eyes went wide. "Barry, it's him!"

Joe stared and gaped. "Damn! It can't be!"

Barry simply smiled. He recalled the advice he'd received in the dreamscape.

"Hell of a way for you all to greet someone. And here I came a long way to be here again," Eddie teased. He stood and strode over toward the trio. "Glad to see you took my advice, Barry."

"Like I was about to argue?" Barry pulled Eddie into a tight embrace. "Great to see you back!"

"Great to be back. Thanks for this." Eddie savored the embrace before moving onto Joe. "I figured you'd be great with this arrangement especially since Patty's going to be with Barry upstairs. Consider it a gift from the folks Upstairs you might say."

"Whatever it is, I'm just glad you're back. You better be letting Iris know you're around," Joe insisted as they embraced as well.

Eddie nodded. "That's my next stop after we get everything settled." He turned to Patty finally. "Great to meet you. I'm Eddie. I appreciate how you're being patient with Barry and letting him grow into things."

"We both are but thanks. I'm glad someone's going to be there for Iris. Meantime maybe we can work together at some point?" Patty agreed. "Sorry I don't shake your hand but well…."

"I can see why. It's okay. We'll get our chance to work together, I'm sure. Also we'll be seeing a lot of each other around Joe's too, I'd imagine. Looking forward to it," Eddie indicated pleasantly with a caring smile. "Speaking of which, I need to head to the _Picture News_. Catch up with you all later. Great to see you all again. Once again, Patty, super to meet you!" With that, Eddie pulled on his trench coat and headed out the front door and toward the parking lot beyond.

Joe shook his head in awe. "Just when I thought I'd seen it all. Damn!"

"I thought he was dead," Patty presumed. "If the other guy wasn't in Iron Heights, I'd say we're dealing with Zoom again."

"It's really him all right," Barry assessed. "That's exactly the way he was in that dream. Kind of weird if you ask me. Joe, maybe we should warn Iris?"

Joe shrugged. "Let Eddie have his surprise _although_ …." He leaned close to the others and whispered, "Maybe you both might want to get over there in case she needs support?"

"That's a great idea. See you at home later." Barry motioned toward the door. "Shall we?"

"We shall. Have a great day and thanks, Joe." Patty expressed before she accompanied her scientist out the door and toward the miracle about to happen.

Joe shook his head. After all of the crap that had hit the fan over the previous year, karma was finally evening up for the group. _Now maybe Cisco might meet someone. Yeah right…._ He chuckled before sitting back down at his desk and rustling through his paperwork before his old/new partner returned from his _rendezvous_.

And so started a truly transformative day for all concerned. A truly great day it seemed….


	13. Iris Gets a Shock

Chapter 13 [ _Picture News_ —Twenty-three minutes later]

[A/N: And yes, here we get that West-Thawne moment….Enjoy.]

Fresh off of the previous night's ordeal at STAR Labs, Iris gulped an extra-strong espresso-shot coffee. Her drowsy eyes managed to focus on the computer screen in front of herself. Still her mind remained a step slow. Yes she was tired…hell… _exhausted_ was the better word for it….

…still all of the romance in the air made her heart ache….

Not that she wasn't happy for everyone around herself. She definitely supported Barry, Patty, Jay and Caitlin's relationships enthusiastically. She wished that her father and Cisco would find someone each.

Still she missed Eddie. She longed for his smile. She missed the amorous embraces, the cuddling and his wonderful cooking. She craved his spontaneous surprises. She frowned. _Don't be sad. He wouldn't want you to be like this._ Her fingers pecked away aimlessly on the keyboard trying to find their way. _Figures Linda's still in Coast City! I'd say girls' lunch._ She shrugged and sighed pointedly.

The phone buzzed proving a welcome break from this monotony.

"Good morning, _Picture News._ This is Iris," she answered.

"Iris, umm…it's Tony out in reception. There's something you need to see out here," the receptionist replied.

She heard the uncertainty in his voice. _Now what?_ "Everything okay, Tony? You sound stressed."

"I'm fine. Trust me…you need to see this for yourself," Tony declared.

"Okay. Be right there." She hung up and arched her eyebrow. She knew Tony never let anything get to him on the job. Hell, as an ex-Marine, he'd already faced things which would make anyone but Barry blush more than likely. _So what the Hell is it?_ She got out of her chair and walked toward the lobby.

As she progressed, people filing past her in the other direction were glancing anxiously toward the lobby.

She felt a particularly weird vibe but pressed ahead. She pushed through the bullpen's door and into the reception area. There she found Tony fretting behind his desk. "Hey. You all right? You seemed anxious on the phone."

Tony shook his head. "I've seen weird stuff, Iris, but this takes the cake." He winced. "There's a visitor for you. You should brace yourself first though." His eyes motioned toward the waiting area.

She shook her head. "You're acting like it's a terrorist or something."

"No it isn't that. I thought you said your _fiancée_ was dead. I think…you'd better look behind yourself. And, as I said, brace yourself," Tony insisted.

"What the Hell? I…." Iris turned and started in, "Listen. I don't have time for the crap. I…" Upon seeing Eddie standing there, her mouth dropped open. "Eddie? Is that…?"

"Yeah it's me," Eddie assured her. He held a bouquet of red roses which he'd bought on the way from the precinct. "I just got back this morning. I…."

Iris felt her eyes watering. She instinctively _knew_ this Eddie, unlike the Earth-2 counterpart at Iron Heights, was _her_ Eddie. She immediately let the accusations and such die on the vine choosing instead to run to him. She literally embraced him tighter than a boa constrictor locking lips with his before anything else could break them apart again.

For his part, he let the flowers drop to the floor desperately returning the gestures with identical ones of his own. Her contact refreshed him after the long wait on the Other Side. His senses sprung to life anew after so long away from her.

"You came back for me?" Iris queried in disbelief.

"Yeah. After I helped Barry yesterday, I got a chance to do this. I wasn't about to question it." His eyes sparkled into hers. "We get our second chance."

"Oh, Sweetie!" She kissed him again. "This is so _awesome_! Wait until Dad and Barry find out."

"I just came from the precinct. They know and…." He could see a certain other couple's reflections in the glass next to them. "Speaking of which." He grinned.

"Guys, don't you have to be at work?" Iris supposed.

"I can't really do anything with my hands as they are," Patty noted. "The captain gave Barry a couple of days to heal up after the latest pounding." She smiled warmly at them. "Besides seeing this is _so_ worth it!"

"That goes double for me." Barry motioned toward Eddie's car. "How about lunch? We can all celebrate."

"Give me a minute. For this, I'll make it happen!" Iris rushed back into the bullpen area and toward her boss' office.

"Sorry we tailed you over here," Barry apologized. "We kind of wanted to see you two get together again."

"And to offer our support for what it's worth," Patty chimed in. "This is so great." She hugged the revived detective as tightly as possible without using her hands.

"Thank you both. I really appreciate it," Eddie expressed warmly. He glanced at Barry knowing that this time there would be no triangle or jealous feelings between them. "Glad to see he took my advice."

"I'm not letting him go either," Patty declared as she returned to her boyfriend's side. Seeing Iris hustle back with coat in hand, she queried, "Ready?"

"Damn straight I am!" Iris announced while kissing her _fiancée_ again. She gently squeezed his hand in hers. "Just don't let me go again, Eddie."

"Never again," Eddie vowed. "Count on that. Come on. Maybe we can make Carmine's before the rush starts?"

Recalling how she loved that restaurant, Iris nodded. "Definitely sounds like a plan. Let's go." She smiled to her friends. "All of us."

"Right behind you," Barry agreed. "Hope you don't mind if we hitch?"

Eddie chuckled. "I think we can fit you both in. Follow us."

And so the quartet headed off for a well-deserved celebration. Long forgotten were the previously-endured angst, trials and tribulations. Now they had each other and the support they all needed.

And wasn't that what counted?


	14. Inspirational Morning After

Conclusion [Next Morning—West Household]

Barry stirred from the blissful slumber and inhaled the cool morning air contentedly. For the first time in weeks, he'd slept contentedly. He felt elated for Iris and Eddie not to mention Caitlin and Jay. He held out hope for Cisco…if they could drag him out of the lab long enough….

…still Eddie's return proved miraculous enough in itself….

 _He got a second chance! He certainly deserves it! If Patty is going to be with me as a CSI then Joe should have the best partner._ Musing about his detective reminded him of the wonderful woman lying next to himself. He smirked and kissed her brow; his lips whispering across her forehead so as not to wake her. _Time to make her an awesome breakfast._ He carefully slipped out of bed, threw his sweats on and crept down the stairs so as not to wake anyone.

About halfway down said staircase, the aroma of brewing mocha java revealed he wasn't first in that regard….

Barry stuck his head into the kitchen. There he found Eddie sitting at the table deep in thought. The latter had a still full steaming mug in front of himself on the table. The coffee maker perked away softly in the corner. "Everything okay?"

Eddie stirred and regarded the other man. "Hmm? Hey, Barry. Good morning. I was just thinking about how lucky I am. Sorry. Didn't wake you with the coffee smell, did I?"

Barry shook his head. "Nope. And you mean how lucky we _both_ are. By the way, that was you I saw in that dream place, right?"

"Yeah. You needed a kick in the pants, Chief. I volunteered." Eddie grinned. "Imagine my surprise when I found out being with Iris was part of the arrangement." He shrugged. "You all need someone to keep things going. Again I wasn't going to leave Iris alone. She's been through enough. And I'm glad you're finally figuring out how to treat Patty."

Barry rolled his eyes as he rummaged through the refrigerator. "Yeah. I haven't been the greatest boyfriend where she's concerned. I'm looking to change that though." He removed a box of strawberries and blueberries. He followed by setting an egg carton on the counter followed by some shredded cheese, two bell peppers, a stick of butter and a package of deli ham. "Patty loves her omelets. You want in?"

"Seriously? You're making an omelet? Iris says your cooking's like microwave-centric," Eddie teased.

"Fine. Be that way. You're going to eat those words," Barry gibed. He cracked six eggs into a mixing bowl, poured a touch of milk into it and whisked them at just above normal speed. "Maybe you can slice the fruit for me while I handle this?"

"Sounds like a plan," Eddie concurred. "Sorry Joe had to leave early. It would've been a great breakfast for everyone."

"Double breakfast date, right? Think the girls would go for that?" Barry supposed as he diced the ham and peppers at eye-blurring speed. He greased the pan with the butter. Then he poured the egg mixture into the pan. Finally he strategically placed the meat, peppers and cheese in the center of the yellow bubbling mix.

"Somehow they might let us off for slipping away early. Yeah." Eddie finished slicing the strawberries and washing the fruit. Then he separated the respective berries into two bowls. He inhaled deeply of the cooking breakfast on the stove and nodded. "You're off to a rapid start."

"I am the Flash. Comes with the territory," Barry cracked. He took a pair of spatulas out and managed to flip the omelet keeping it in one piece. He took three coffee mugs out of the cabinet. Then at super speed, he poured and fixed the respective coffees. "Left some for a refill if you'd like?"

"Yeah I'll do that. Thanks," Eddie expressed allowing his grin to grow by leaps and bounds. He had to admit that how Barry had grown impressed him. "Just don't burn your creation, Genuis."

"I won't. Some things though need their own time. Iris talked about your stuff. After Patty told me she loves these, I figured I'd try my own." Barry rolled his eyes. "Let's say…it took a _while_ to learn this."

"Yeah I noticed you burned a few along the way." Eddie sipped on the coffee. "Important thing is that you're taking the step for her. For what's it worth, I'm proud of you." He nodded in acknowledgment.

"We all inspire each other. Got to be like that," Barry tested his creation and pulled it off of the heat. Then he produced four plates, sliced the huge omelet into quarters and set each quarter on its own plate. He took out four little bowls and spooned some of the fruit into each. Reaching back into the fridge, he grabbed a bottle of whipped cream and topped each one with a tiny flourish. "Okay?"

"Yeah it'll pass muster all right," Eddie noted with a nod. "Down here or do we bring the feast up?"

"How about we all eat here?" Patty supposed from the kitchen door where she and Iris watched them hard at work. "Kind of adds to the ambiance."

"Great. We were thinking of how to surprise you both," Eddie lamented.

"Having you here is surprise enough for me," Iris assured him while letting her lips whisper a pleasant good morning across his.

"Beats waking up to Barry's nightmares. Glad those and your counterpart are history, Eddie," Patty noted with relief. "I love to see him like this." She rubbed her chin against his right shoulder. "Whatever have you got there for me? I don't suppose you ran to Florence or something for that?"

"Nope. Just my own little cooking skills. I'm relaxed. Figured I'd treat my lady like a princess. Figured we could share?" Barry supposed.

"Oh I _suppose_ we can. Keep being like this, Barry. I _might_ reward you later," Patty cracked while letting her eyes shine into his. "Care to split breakfast with us, Guys?"

"Definitely." Iris took a mug from the counter and sipped on it. "Mmm…and you fixed it the way I like it."

"You bet I did," Eddie fibbed knowing that Barry had beaten him to the punch in that regard. "Maybe we might adjourn to the table?"

"I can't wait to see what Chef Flash came up with this morning," Patty chimed in.

"You do inspire the light," Barry declared while taking two plates and setting them on the table. Then he did the same with the other plates and the fruit bowls before any of them could blink. "All set." He took his coffee and headed for the waiting feast. "Get your coffees. Everything else is waiting"

"So anything else on the agenda? I've got the day off," Iris noted.

"And I don't start until day after tomorrow back at the precinct," Eddie indicated.

"Same here. Maybe we can enjoy the day? At some point, maybe invite Caitlin and Jay for a couples' night? For now, I'd like to enjoy the moment though," Barry suggested.

Patty savored his culinary creation and nodded in approval. "That's a plan."

"A walk in the park and maybe some dinner? I'm game," Eddie agreed while looking to Iris.

"It's unanimous." Iris hugged her revived _fiancé_ and smiled at the other couple across the table. At last, everyone indulged in their happiness. At last the nightmares had left them alone. And they could enjoy their bliss.

And isn't that preferable to the tortures from the nightmares over all?

THE END (for now)…..


End file.
